Manifest Destiny
by ThreeCatsinaBarrel
Summary: "What do you believe? And how much are you willing to risk on that belief? Would you risk your existence, and the existence of your species, on a hunch? A whim? The word of a prophet a thousand years dead?" Book of Science 1  Rating may change.
1. Timeline

**Edit: **All chapters checked for spelling mistakes and continuity errors.

**UPDATED: **New timelines and plots added.

A very special thanks to the following people for allowing me to use their creatures in this story:

IonutRO

Melosians

Endir

Irude

Akrili

bh18

Lor

Takaiteishu Naruto

Kylos

(and the subsequent creation of the Yuuks)

An idea I've had for some time but couldn't get it out until now. I'm aware that I've been away for some time but I've had to get over some very bad news. As such, this story, a crossover between two of her favourite games, is dedicated to Sarah.

Sarah

1989 – 2011

Don't Fear the Reaper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mass Effect / Spore ~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manifest Destiny

Timeline

6,000,000,000 BCE – An unknown power begins to systematically destroy all of the mass relays in the Second Arm of the Galaxy and badly damages the Great Relay which connects the arm to the rest of the galactic Mass Relay network, effectively cutting off the arm and sparing it from the Reaper genocide cycles.

During this time a meteor ploughs into the primitive ocean of Apher, a planet located halfway along the second arm. This meteor both scars Apher's moon, and kick starts evolution on the planet.

The Birth of the Apherian Empire.

1,000,000,000 BCE – Prehistoric Age: Ulies learn to make and control fire. They are hunter gatherers so the semi-aquatic mammals live in nomadic troops following coasts, rivers and lakes, constantly searching for food and following prey migrations. Most fights between troops are the results of food shortages but these were probably very rare occurrences and mostly within arid ulie territories.

990,550,000 BCE – Tool Age: Tools made from stone and wood are developed and religious shamanism is embraced by a majority of ulie tribes.

990,500,000 BCE – Poske Age: Metal-hard poske coral becomes widely used as the main material for tool making. The coral's living form can be knapped like flint and sharpened, when the coral dies it becomes metal hard from the minerals it absorbed from the ground. The wheel is created and the first forms of primitive warships are developed, since the ulies are marine mammals, these ships are mainly used as transports for warriors.

990,494,000 BCE – Poske Priming Age: Poske coral is discovered to take on characteristics of any metals it is allowed to grow on, allowing for it to be used in many other ways. Copper and tin (bronze) became the primary metals mixed with poske and was used mainly for weapons. Swords become widely available and medicine advances.

990,492,800 BCE – Crimson Age: Iron became the metal that was primarily mixed with poske and the Crimson Nation begins the Thousand Generations War, the _only_ open conflict between ulie nations in recorded history. Before the development of more sophisticated ships the Crimson nation was unable to send warriors to the other nations and had already subsumed every other tribe on their continent.

990,490,600 BCE – Golden Age: The spiritual Golden Nation begins to become the main force keeping Crimson powers from gaining strength and they begin to spread their influence to other nations.

990,486,900 BCE – Knowledge Age: With the development of better ships and artillery weapons the Thousand Generations War sees a rise in conflicts between the Crimsons and other nations across Apher. Calculus is invented and the laws of motion were discovered soon afterwards.

990,482,200 BCE – Rebirth Age: The ulie Rebirth Age came from the Golden Nation when it had subsumed all other nations on its home continent and the Crimson war machine seemed to be slowing to a standstill. Many hoped it was the end of the war, but hostilities would peak again after the Nuramhera Fleet Massacre, where Crimson warships destroyed a Brown Nation trader fleet.

990,475,600 BCE – Industrial Age: Microbiology is discovered and biofuels are developed. Safer and cleaner to use than previous sources of energy, biofuels soon account for roughly fourty two percent of Apher's energy. Flight is achieved by the Brown Nation which is now a part of the Golden Nation.

990,473,000 BCE – Flight Age: The Crimson Nation begins a major push of its borders, capturing the Blue Nation port city of Capia and using its inhabitants as slaves, a concept ulies from other nations had never seen before. The aircraft and tank are introduced to the battlefields by the Crimson, Forest and Golden Nations. The Golden Nation retains its air superiority despite the Forest and Crimson Nations eventually developing their own aircraft.

990,472,800 BCE – Atomic Age: The Golden Nation takes Capia away from the Crimsons and begins to rebuild its broken citizens, they also offer aid to other Blue Nation cities that are under attack from Crimson forces. Radar, jet aircraft, helicopters and atomic weapons are introduced into the arsenals of war. The first Atomic Bomb used by ulies is released on a major Forest Nation city by the Crimson, this act sees the Forest Nation unable to resupply its famous fleets which patrolled the oceans against Crimson War Fleets. The Golden Nation increases its air power and uses the void left by the Forest Nation to grow its own naval fleet.

990,472,100 BCE – Biological Age: Sees the perfection of jet aircraft, biofuels and poske coral production. The Golden Nation develops prototype battlesuits and trains heroic warriors to wear them into front-line battles against the Crimsons.

990,470,000 BCE – Digital Age: The Thousand Generations War ends with the Golden and Forest nations besieging the Crimson's settlements and capturing their capitol city. Battle armour and battlesuit technology reach a stage where suits are capable of being mass produced at a reasonable cost thanks to the dying embers of the war.

**UPDATED:** The Prophet of the All Maker's Canvas: It was during the later centuries of this age where the argument between Evolutionists and Creationists began to become a matter of public concern. The argument of whether ulies evolved or were created by the All Maker had been a debate for many centuries but had slowly begun to boil over as the conflict with the Crimsons ended.

Brieze Wyter, a student engineer, would come to live much of her life with a troop of Saint Ruteda Sisters at a monastery close to the university she was attending and would explain how she could see that evolution was the All Maker's tool of creation. Basically, life is a masterpiece of artwork, the rock of Apher was a blank canvas and the All Maker used evolution to give the world colour, filling the world with animals and plants. The Head Sister would write about Brieze's ideas and the world would read the articles.

Eventually, Brieze's ideas were adopted and accepted by some influential leaders in religious and scientific circles and was embraced by many among the general populace of Apher both in the Golden Nation, their allied Nations and even the Forest Nation. She was named a Prophet after giving birth to, and successfully raising, identical twins; there had been no record of such events before. The twin girls were considered a sign that Brieze was right and her popularity increases.

She was sainted when she died at a grand age of ninety seven. By the Enlightenment Age, Brieze was the most popular Saint in ulie religion.

990,463,700 BCE – Enlightenment Age: Battle armour and battlesuit technology continued to advance despite the end of hostilities between ulie nations. The Blue Nation allows itself to become part of the Golden Nation making the Golden and Forest nations the only nations left on Apher. The Crimson settlements are divided between the two nations but no hostilities arise between them. In the later years of this age the Forest Nation and Golden Nation merge together with most attributing success to the Goldens. Apher is united and the ulies truly start focusing their eyes towards the stars.

990,461,100 BCE – Space Age: The ulies continue to advance and eventually colonize Apher's moon, other planets and moons in their solar system and begin stockpiling biofuels.

990,453,700 BCE – The Apherian Empire develops the first primitive slip-space generator. The first drive that was deemed safe to test was only able to transfer a ship nine hundred miles through slip-space.

990,453,100 BCE – The ulies develop the first generation of slip-space generators capable of covering the distance between close by solar systems.

990,449,600 BCE – A new colony on a frontier world called Thedas, uncovers a highly aggressive native species that show strange powers using dark matter fields and willpower, the ulies first contact with biotics. Pups born the year these creatures begin to attack the colony begin showing the same powers and grow to become the only force capable of effectively combating the threat of the Darkspawn, so named for their extraordinary numbers and because so very little is known about what they actually are.

Reaching adulthood, the ulie pups that first exhibited these powers create the Grey Wardens order of warriors to combat the aggressive species and successfully drive them back into the subterranean lairs of the planet.

Within three hundred years of the colony's founding all colonists born on the planet are natural biotics. The Grey Wardens watch over the entrances and exits to the lairs to keep the Darkspawn at bay, they also become an elite warrior sect of the Apherian military and train young pups who exhibit biotic powers across the empire.

_'In war, Victory_

_In peace, Vigilance_

_In death, Sacrifice'_

Grey Warden prayer

990,400,000 BCE – The ulies have colonized their entire home system and many close by neighbouring systems using their interstellar drives and slip-space generators. With the development of better slip-space generators a new wave of colonization begins.

With the ulies being such social animals and with strong bonds of kinship, the Empire ensures it maintains contact with its outer rim colonies and so avoids isolating them, preventing civil war.

**UPDATED: **High Judge Kem Ors funds a project to begin a penal colony to rehabilitate the worst ulie criminals of the time and leads a terra-forming fleet, a colony ship and a large prison colony ship to the outer reaches to the Apherian Empire. Just as the penal colony was about ready to accept new criminals the colony goes dark and contact is lost.

**UPDATED: **990,398,000 BCE – As the ulies expand into new systems an Exploration vessel has to make an emergency land on a planet that shows signs of habitation. The Apherian Empire rediscovers the penal colony of Kem Ors, which went silent two thousand years ago and has undergone extraordinary changes. Genetic modifications brought about by religious fanaticism have created a huge new breed of ulie; strong, fearless, unfeeling and incapable of responding to pain these terrifying, nightmarish new ulies are called Silents. Almost immediately after being rediscovered the Silent ulies begin to bring the most dangerous criminals from across the Empire to their colony, very few ever return to society.

"_We are the anger of the All Maker made flesh._

_The All Maker is angry."_

Silent Ulie belief and warning

987,000,000 BCE – The ulies have explored their entire star cluster and colonized many of the solar systems. With their advanced interstellar drives and slip-space generators they begin to push out into neighbouring star clusters.

Pre-Council Era

985,900,000 BCE – The ulies make first contact with the Valea, a race of herbivores, that share similar beliefs with the ulies. Some centuries after first contact the valea allow their own empire, the Kurysse, to be subsumed into the Apherian Empire after witnessing an Apherian Terra-Forming Fleet transform a desolate T-0 planet into a thriving T-3 paradise world. The valea believe the ulies are their prophesied spiritual leaders. "Those closet to Spode."

"_Spread the light and wisdom of the Ulies._

_For in doing so, you spread the light and love of Spode."_

Ocvhetr Wjak Yuredds, High Priest of Spode

985,200,000 BCE – The Apherian Empire (AE) make first contact with the Horpetters, a race of traders, and an alliance is quickly formed between the AE and the Horpetter Trader Alliance (HTA) through trade routes and slow technological exchange.

_'We only concern ourselves with how to make everyone happy.'_

Tablet of Prosperity. Aspiration 6.

985,000,000 BCE – The AE and the HTA are discovered by the Devios, a race of flying mammals, who open friendly diplomatic relations with the two empires.

"_'Every sentient being matters.' To these Apherians, every sentient being is the same as they are._

_They do not want our problems or our worries, they do not want our wars or our respect._

_They want to help us overcome our faults, to face our fears, they wish to help us find our peace and they want only our friendship."_

Moders La Pa'Leny Devio, first Devio diplomat to meet the Apherian Empire diplomatic team at First Contact.

970,000,000 BCE – The HTA and the Devios Empire (DE) join the AE. Bringing about untold prosperity to their systems as ulies and valea spread their culture, technology and wealth to their new colonies and races.

967,990,000 BCE – The AE is attacked by the Racion Wheaifurb Coalition (RWC). The racions, a race of aggressive flying avians, known for their brutality and slaving fleets which are capable of enslaving the populations of entire planets. The Apherian Empire takes steps to defend itself but after it becomes clear the racions are slavers and pirates (something the ulies outlaw in their empire) they begin to mount an offensive to free the RWC's slave races.

967,989,500 BCE – The racions are pushed back to their innermost systems and the AE discovers their homeworld. When the RWC refuses peace talks with the AE and begin to mount a huge counter-attack to push the Apherian fleet back, the ulies use an experimental weapon on the racions' home planet, Rqneu. The GSSDRE-04 warhead is fired at Rqneu and completely destroys the planet. With their warlords and generals killed, the racions could not mount a proper defence and surrendered to the AE. The remaining racion populations are grounded on their planets and their millitary disbanded.

The ulies, a race dedicated to the preservation of life, see the destruction of Ryneu as a sacrilege against the All Maker's will and immediately stockpile the remaining 9 GSSDRE-04 warheads (termed Planet Busters) at a secret location on their home system's last planet. Each warhead is placed in a white casket with yellow trim (the colour of Racion blood) with the warning '_Only when ALL hope is lost_' engraved onto each casket.

The Order of the Ceatroan is formed by the Admiral of the war fleet that shot the Planet Buster into Ryneu, which begins to aid the racions sympathetic to the AE after the war. The Order quickly becomes a secret organization working behind the scenes of the AE government to protect all races within it from those who would seek to harm them.

Later the racions will become one of the AE's most powerful peacekeeping forces.

_'We enslaved whole worlds, killed whole populations, turned once bustling cities into ghosthavens and earned the sneers and distaste of billions. We thought ourselves immortal. Above all others._

_And then came the Ulies._

_With the Ulies came the hatred of a galaxy we had wronged, the mourning of the planets we had purged of their peoples, and the payback for a thousand years of pervertedness._

_With the Planet Buster, we found freedom in eternal shackles to the Empire.'_

Remembrance Brand. Tattooed onto every racion soldier once they have completed their military training.

890,950,000 BCE – The AE make first contact with the gekans and the tohels, two races which joined together for mutual benefit. The gekans are not capable of full military prowess and enlisted the aid of the tohels some several thousand years ago after they helped rid the tohel race of a virulent disease which was driving them to extinction. Together the gekan and the tohels form the Orpulik Alliance (OA) and begin diplomatic talks with the AE.

"_When the galaxy, evolution, Gods of us mortals and Demons of the Void come against us, all we have is each other"._

Gekan/Tohel saying. Based off of ancient text found on a weapon blasted moon by the Orpulik Alliance which dates before even the ulies' earliest ancestors.

890,500,000 BCE – The AE are successful in creating a fully functional and economical slip-space generator, allowing near instantaneous travel across their empire.

**UPDATED: **450,235,501 BCE – A civilization making its last stand tries to fire a mass accelerator weapon of mass destruction (WMD) at a Reaper fleet but hits nothing. The WMD continues moving through space for the next 4,000,000 years.

37,000,000 BCE – An unknown spacefaring race fires a mass accelerator round at a Reaper near the planet Mnemosyne. The round penetrates the Reaper, disabling it, and continues moving through space, eventually striking the planet Klendagon and creating the geological feature there known as the Great Rift Valley.

**UPDATED: **The AE is discovered by the kylos, a race of semi-aquatic reptiles, who are embroiled in a war with a race of highly aggressive bat-like creatures called yuuks.

After several years of war with the yuuks the AE and the Kylos Grand Senate of Planets (KGSP) finally get the yuuks to surrender. The AE and the Ceatroan Order begin immediate work to provide support to the decimated and weakened Yuuk Empire, much to the chagrin of the KGSP who believe that the yuuks should be allowed to remain weak for beginning the hostilities in the beginning.

Despite this, however, many kylos state planets vote to remain in contact with the powerful new Empire, if only to keep an eye on the power struggles.

For many hundreds of years the kylos keep hold of their hatred for the yuuks and develop a dislike for the peaceful devio race, who bare an unfortunate resemblance to the yuuks.

"_We are nothing alike, we are kylos, you are devio, they are ulie. The difference between us is like a weakening vine growing up a pillar support to one of our great temples._

_We are the pillar, you are the vine."_

An overheard argument between a kylos warrior and a devio trader.

**UPDATED: **3,540,401 BCE – The avian melosians take to the stars and in less than a century manage to establish five extrasolar colonies.

**UPDATED: **3,540,352 BCE – The endir, a race of creatures who show a number of both avian and mammal traits, take to the stars and in less than a decade they establish their first extrasolar colony.

**UPDATED: **3,540,023 BCE – An ancient WMD is two years away from impacting with Tur, the irude home star, astronomers from Ash's greatest houses discover this and the world's Matriarchs panic, their top scientists determine that there is no way to stop their impending extinction, the information is released to the public after months of conspiracy theories flying around and all irude prepare for their deaths.

**UPDATED: **3,540,022 BCE – The endir discover the WMD and map it's trajectory to Tur where they discover the irude, a mammalian race, and in less than 12 months they manage to evacuate 4 billion irude off-world.

**UPDATED: **3,540,021 BCE – Tur is struck by the WMD and 7 billion irude die in a swift and painless supernova.

**UPDATED: **3,536,964 BCE – The milosians make their first contact with an alien species, the endir and the irude, and soon a trade agreement is made.

**UPDATED: **3,536,524 BCE – Milosian and endir colonies start going dark, when both sides discover that the other is not to blame they start a joint military operation to find and stop the culprit.

**UPDATED: **3,536,523 BCE – The unknown assailants reveal themselves to be a race of synthetics who claim that all organic sapience is an affront to their Gods (their organic creators who had gone extinct long ago). Since any intelligent life that was not created by their Gods in unholy and has no right to exist it must be exterminated. The milosians and endir formally become allies and start planning for full scale war.

**UPDATED: **3,536,482 BCE – An endir-made electronic virus is released into the synthetics hive-mind disrupting their long range communications thus leaving individual fleets and stations cut off from the rest of their forces, this allows the Alliance to quickly decimate the disorganized synthetics in less than two years.

**UPDATED: **3,536,480 BCE – With the war finally over the Alliance starts reclaiming all of its lost territory and begins expanding again.

**UPDATED: **2,920,123 BCE – First contact between the Alliance and AE is made.

A terraforming fleet is led to the frontier systems held by the Melosian / Endir Alliance (MEA) by radio signals picked up by their sensitive equipment. It is a distress call from a colony where gigantic storms are destroying cities. With their terraforming knowledge the ulies realise that this is the beginning of Planet Environmental Instability (Pei) and unless action is taken the planet's ecology is doomed.

The terraforming fleet stabilizes the planet and meet with Alliance diplomats.

_'Violence is not an unnatural thing. It is the normal state of being.'_

Stones of Force. The Second Observation.

298,000 BCE – The ancient arthenn race flourish in the Zelene system, living on the planet Helyme until being destroyed in an unknown event that wiped out all complex life on the planet. They also maintained a presence on other planets in the system including Epho, which bears the scars of an ancient orbital bombardment, and Gaelon, which may have been mined for helium-3.

The AE make first contact with the attix and their empire of Yefkaresdca, the attix are cat-like primates ruled by a matriarchal society, diplomatic relations quickly benefit both empires with trade routes and technology exchange.

"_There are few things in life that remain certain. One of the few, is the generosity of the Apherians."_

Matriarch Reunt Eir, after an Apherian merchant ship brought much needed food supplies to her people during a terrible drought, free of charge.

125,000 BCE – Ancient spacefaring races called the thoi'han and inusannon fight over the planet Eingana, littering the planet with the debris of hundreds of starships. Refined element zero scattered by broken drive cores contaminates the environment, causing many native species to go extinct and those that survive to show a tendency to develop biotic powers.

48,000 BCE: Fall of the Protheans – The protheans, the sole spacefaring race in the galaxy at the time, establish a galaxy-wide civilization (excluding the Second Arm) linked by the mass relay network before mysteriously vanishing. Their legacy, ruins and technology scattered across many worlds, survives and influences later spacefaring civilizations.

6000 BCE – Seeking to escape the imminent explosion of their sun, an alien race constructs an AI- managed starship equipped with supercomputers containing a virtual world, into which some one billion of the aliens transfer their consciousnesses. The starship begins a journey throughout the galaxy which lasts for the next 8,000 years.

1,800 BCE – A supernova propels the Mu Relay, the only point of access to the remote Pangaea Expanse, out of position. Concealed somewhere in the dense nebula formed by the supernova, the relay's position is effectively lost for centuries. Later, the rachni rediscover the relay.

**UPDATED: **The AE discovers several hundred new systems right on the edge of the galaxy and send an exploration fleet to investigate the new sector. They discover a new race, the lor, secretive reptiles who the AE exploration fleets help stabilize the environment of one of their frontier worlds.

Despite their exceptionally reclusive nature they opened quiet diplomatic talks with the ulies and became one of the quieter member species of the AE, for the Empire's expertise in Terraforming and subsequently environmental stabilization of planets ,the lor dedicate many of their best warriors to the AE 's military, forming the very first 'Spirits'.

"_Silence is the sound of your destruction."_

Spirit saying.

580 BCE – After developing faster-than-light spacefaring capabilities based upon prothean technology, the asari begin to explore the mass relay network and eventually discover the huge Citadel space station at the hub of many mass relays.

520 BCE – The salarians discover the Citadel and open diplomatic relations with the asari.

Council Era: Formation

500 BCE: Founding of the Citadel Council – The Citadel Council is formed. The ssari and salarians together colonize the Citadel and establish it as a centre of the galactic community, led by the Council. This year is also known as 0GS, the beginning of the Galactic Standard (GS) timeline.

As a gesture of openness with their new asari allies, the Salarian Union opens the records of the League of One. Under threat, the League responds by assassinating every member of the Union's inner cabinet; Special Tasks Group operatives then hunt down and eliminate the League.

First contact is made with the volus. Eventually, the Citadel Council commissions the volus to draw up the Unified Banking Act, which establishes a standard galactic currency known as the credit and links all galactic economies.

The Turian Unification War occurs. The increasingly isolated and xenophobic colonies on the frontiers of turian space go to war with each other. After years of fighting, the Turian Hierarchy sweeps in and pacifies the remaining factions. Animosity between turian colonies continues for decades.

200 BCE – The Council grants the volus the honour of being the first non-Council species with an embassy at the Citadel, rather than a Council seat.

First contact is made with the batarians. They are granted an embassy a century later.

The asari discover the elcor home system and help the elcor locate and activate their nearest mass relay. "Within one elcor lifetime" they establish a regular trade route to the Citadel and are granted an embassy.

First contact is made with the hanar and the quarians. Both races are later granted embassies.

Council Era: War and Rebellion

1 CE: The Rachni Wars – The rachni, a species of highly intelligent hive-minded insects, are discovered when a Citadel expedition opens a dormant mass relay leading to their star system. The rachni prove to be hostile and begin a war with the rest of the galaxy. Negotiation with the rachni Queens is impossible because they cannot be contacted in their underground nests on the toxic rachni worlds.

80 CE – The Rachni Wars continue. The salarians make first contact with and uplift the primitive krogan, manipulating them into acting as soldiers for the Citadel Council. The krogan prove able to survive the harsh environments of the rachni worlds and pursue the rachni into their nests, systematically eradicating queens and eggs.

300 CE – The rachni are declared extinct. In gratitude for their aid during the Rachni Wars, the Council rewards the krogan a new homeworld. Free of the harsh environment of Tuchanka, the krogan population explodes.

300 – 700 CE – The krogan begin to expand exponentially, colonizing many new worlds. Growing concerns about their expansion lead to the founding of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel.

700 CE: The Krogan Rebellions – Krogan warlords leverage veterans of the Rachni Wars to annex territory from the other races in Citadel space. Eventually the Council demands withdrawal from the asari colony of Lusia, but the krogan refuse. A pre-emptive strike is made on krogan infrastructure by the Spectres. The Krogan Rebellions begin.

The Citadel Council makes first contact with the turians. In response to the threat posed by the krogan, they declare war. After the krogan devastate turian colonies with weapons of mass destruction, the turians respond with a salarian engineered bio-weapon known as the Genophage. The krogan population starts its decline.

The turians accept the volus as a client race within the Turian Hierarchy.

800 CE – The Krogan Rebellions end, though scattered krogan insurgent actions continue for decades. The turians fill the military and peacekeeping niche left by the decimated krogan.

The Citadel Conventions are drawn up in the wake of the conflict.

Council Era: Expansion

900 CE – The turians are granted a seat on the Citadel Council in recognition for their service in the Krogan Rebellions.

**UPDATED: **The AE discovers the warrior race, the Akrili, who have a large empire at the tail end of the Second Arm. First Contact is not peaceful and while the AE has both the advantage in technology, numbers and support for frontline troops, the sheer ferocity and brutality of the Akrili allows them to hold their own against the AE.

1,400 CE – Extensive and unchecked industrial expansion on the drell homeworld Rakhana begins taking a significant toll on the planet's environment.

1,600 CE – The first sightings of the Collectors are reported in the Terminus Systems. In Citadel space, the claims are dismissed as unsubstantiated rumours and tall tales.

1,755 CE – Samara's three daughters are diagnosed as Ardat-Yakshi. Rila and Falere accept exile, but Morinth flees. Samara takes the oaths of the Asari Justicars and pursues her errant daughter for the next several centuries.

1,880 CE – Aria T'Loak arrives on Omega, a space station in the Terminus Systems regarded as the region's nominal capitol. Aria is hired by the station's warlord as an enforcer and quickly becomes one of his most trusted lieutenants.

**UPDATED: **The Akrili Conflict ends in a ceasefire. Unable to topple the AE's numbers and with their supply lines dwindling to non-existence by constant attacks from AE Stealth teams and Spirit operatives the akrili issue a 'ceasefire' to the AE. While several AE races petition the Apherian High Council to order the akrili into total surrender and bring them to heel, the decision is made to accept the ceasefire but Spirits are ordered to keep an eye on the aggressive race and large fleets of racion and kylos ships constantly patrol the border with the Brutes.

Realising the akrili follow the Stones of Force, ancient tablets left by an unknown and scattered all over the Second Arm, The Ceatroan Order trades a complete set of the Stones the ulies found many centuries ago with the akrili. This gesture of openness and understanding of their ways eventually allows the proud akrili in accepting help from the AE and opens cools diplomatic relations.

1,895 CE: The Geth War – The geth, machines created by the quarians as a source of cheap labour, become self-aware. Fearing a geth uprising, the quarians begin dismantling them. The geth revolt against their quarian masters and, in the resulting war, systematically drive the quarians from their worlds. The surviving quarians are reduced to living as spacefaring nomads aboard the Migrant Fleet. Contary to expectations, the geth do not venture outside the former quarian systems into wider Citadel space, instead isolating themselves from the rest of the galaxy behind the Perseus Veil. As punishment for creating the geth, the Citadel Council closes the quarian embassy on the Citadel.

1,921 CE – The geth begin construction of a mega-structure designed to house and simultaneously run every geth program in existence. Completion of the mega-structure, which would allow the geth to maximize their collective processing capacity, is the long-term goal of geth civilization.

1,961 CE – April 12: Yuri Gagarin aboard the Vostok 1 becomes the first human to travel in space. Humanity becomes a spacefaring race.

1,969 CE – July 20: Apollo 11 lands on Luna. Neil Armstrong becomes the first human to walk on an astronomical object other than Earth.

1,977 CE – August 20: The Voyager 2 probe is launched.

September 2: The Voyager 1 probe is launched.

1,980 CE – Aria T'Loak assumes control of Omega after defeating the space station's previous warlord in single combat. She mockingly bestows the title "Patriarch" on the broken krogan, and uses him as a reminder to her enemies of her power.

1,983 CE – September 26: Able Archer Incident - The Soviet orbital missile early warning system (SPRN), code-named Oko, reports a single intercontinental ballistic missile launch from the territory of the United States. Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov was involved in a motoring accident and his position is replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Luke Volk. He fails to recognise the attack as a computer error and the USSR launches a nuclear warhead against the USA. The computer error was the result of the systems being new and malfunctioning along with a rare alignment of sunlight on high-altitude clouds and satellite orbits.

Over the course of roughly twenty years, the resulting nuclear war causes the human population to crash to under half it's numbers of post World War 2 population charts and leaves them facing harsh nuclear winters for many centuries afterwards.

2,000 CE – The drell make first contact with the hanar around this time. With their homeworld, Rakhana, severely depleted and no spaceflight capability, the drell were poised for a massive population crash by 2,025 CE. Agreeing to help, the hanar mount a large-scale rescue operation and evacuate approximately 375,000 drell to their own homeworld, Kahje, over the following decade. The remaining 11 billion drell on Rakhana gradually perish, warring over the last reserves of food and water.

2,070 CE – Tundra ulie billionaire Vis Ertrah, begins funding his own private expedition to find artefacts across Apherian controlled space. These expeditions find no valuable artefacts during their founding years but do help the AE find planets perfect for agricultural colonization and biofuel production.

2,076 CE – One of Vis Ertrah's expedition vessels discovers an 'anomaly'. Bringing the object on board it is discovered to be a spacecraft of unknown origin. A golden disc is found on the dead craft and is examined. The Voyager 1 space probe is discovered by the AE.

With the data gathered from the gold disc of the Voyager 1 probe, Vis Ertrah commissions the AE Senate of Species to begin a similar probe and disc, but this time with data on their own species and the AE. With backing from the public and dealings made by the Ceatroan Order, Ertrah is given permission.

2,077 CE – Liara T,Soni (asari) is born.

Vis Ertrah and his team replicate the sounds and images from the Voyager's record disc with sounds, music and pictures of the ulie race and some of the other races of the AE. Ertrah begins sending his expedition teams further into space with backing from the AE and its high government to locate the makers of the Voyager probe.

2123 CE – A human movement on Earth begins to bring the fractured population together again. Learning from their ancestors downfall, most of these descendants come together to form a large clan to try and rebuild their shattered world. Though progress is initially slow, desperation begins to force cooperation.

2,125 CE – The yagh, an intelligent pre-spaceflight race, are discovered on the planet Parnack. Ambassadors representing the Citadel Council arrive on the planet and attempt to open diplomatic contact. After the ambassadors are killed by the predatory yahg, the Council ceases all contact with the yahg and declares Parnack off-limits.

Not long after discovery, one yahg is captured for the Shadow Broker to study. With the Broker's assistance, the yahg rapidly ascends within the Broker's organization as "Operative Kechlu". Eventually, the Broker becomes wary of "Operative Kechlu" and attempts to have him terminated, but the order is sent too late. The yahg assumes the mantle of the Shadow Broker and directs the organization for the next sixty years.

2,137 CE – Davin Ackersan (Common ulie male) is born.

2,139 CE – Saren Arterius (turian male) and Kahlee Sindars (Common ulie female) are born in this year.

2,146 CE – Thane Krios (drell male) is born.

2,148 CE: The Apherian Empire Discovers Humanity and the Mass Relays – Ertrah Exploration, a small fleet of exploration vessels run by Vis' grandson discovers a T-3 world recovering from nuclear fallout and intelligent lifeforms rebuilding a once vast planetary civilization. Word quickly gets back to the AE who send a science fleet to research these creatures which call themselves humans. It is quickly established that these creatures were the makers of the Voyager 1 probe and the AE launches an investigation as to what happened on Earth for such dramatic changes.

During a routine scan of Humanity's solar system an anomaly is discovered inside the moon of the system's furthest planet. Preliminary results suggest that it is some sort of technology and the AE start immediate research into it, perhaps this artefact had something to do with Humanity's downfall. Since the structure is encased in ice the decision is made to evacuate a viable number of humans from Earth in case the structure should pose a threat to the re-emerging race.

2,149 CE – The ulies begin to gather humans from all ages and ethnic groups and start proper study of the intelligent and curious creatures. Some human children are adopted by ulie researchers and their troops where it is quickly observed that humans are a very adaptable race and are able to learn ulie speech and body language.

Now with full knowledge of human language the ulies return to the poske disc that Vis Ertrah had made and include translation of themselves speaking in English (the language that seemed to be most used on the Voyager 1 golden disc) so that when Humanity begins to retake its steps to become a space race the Voyager 1 probe can be returned to its makers with the new messages.

2,150 CE – Miranda Lawson (human female) is born.

A Terra-Forming Fleet is assigned to help the Sol System researchers excavate the alien structure out of Pluto's moon, Charon.

2,151 CE – Kaden Amenka (Common/Tundra ulie male) is born.

2,152 CE – Thane Krios is submitted for training as an assassin under the hanar.

2,154 CE – Zanthi Shenpar (Common ulie female) is born to roving female Jotei Shenpar on Apher.

2,155 CE – Saren Arterius is promoted to active service in the turian military at the age of 16.

Jen "Joker" Mora (Tropic ulie male) is born.

Miranda Lawson is taken into Apherian custody along with a younger sister after it is learned that her father may have deliberately used modified genes to introduce biotics into his daughters. It is also later revealed that several older siblings mysteriously disappeared at young ages when they discovered they did not respond well to the altered biotic genes. The two sisters are adopted by a troop of Ceatroan funded scientists on a makeshift facility on Mars to help further Apherian understanding of Humans. They also observe to see if the biotics have any negative effect on the young females as they grow.

2,156 CE – The alien structure within Charon is fully excavated and scientists begin to examine the alien technology inside, discovering the structure is a mass relay. They discover coordinates for other relays within the Second Arm but the AE have found no other relay on their expansion. Several exploration teams are hired to go to close-by relay coordinates to discover if any other mass relay's can be found.

Using their slip-space generators they reach the coordinates to find no other mass relays, however, one team does return with metal wreckage similar to that of the Charon relay and agree that the mass relays must have either perished or been destroyed.

Still, the Charon Mass Relay gives coordinates for another mass relay of 'obvious importance' and exploration teams, a Terra-Forming fleet and several colony ships begin to push out in the direction of the this 'supreme' relay.

2,157 CE – The AE discover the destroyed Great Relay and begin a long term plan to restore the structure and hopefully reconnect the Second Arm to the rest of the galaxy. The local planet of Sanzi is chosen as the colony world for those who will be helping to rebuild the alien technology.

Jacue Taulor (Arid ulie male) is born.

Davin Ackersan graduates from Officer Candidate School with the rank of Celebrated Captain.

2,159 CE – Saren Arterius becomes the youngest turian to be inducted into the Spectres.

Council Era: The Apherian Empire

2,160 CE – The Shattered Relic War

A quarian prospecting crew are chased through the Silent Relay, the partner to the Shattered Relic Relay (found by the AE) by pirates.

The ulies repair the quarian ship and treat the crew of their depleted immune systems. The crew ask the ulies for help with the Migrant Fleet's health and the situation with the geth. The AE refuse to involve themselves with the geth situation, but do send a diplomatic team to the Migrant Fleet.

The distress call that the quarians broadcast before jumping through the relay has been picked up by a turian patrol which travels through the Silent Relay to discover the forces of Sanzi and, believing the forces gathered here to be an invasion force, attack. The ulies are unprepared for the attack but send the turian patrol fleet retreating back through the relay with their superior weaponry.

The turians call for reinforcements and Sanzi prepares for another attack calling in warships from neighbouring systems and setting up stealth teams near the Silent Relay to ambush the turian fleets when they return.

The turians renew their attack. The turians have brought a large fleet, thinking Sanzi is the ulie's homeworld. The stealth operators infiltrate the turian vessels and begin to spy and sabotage turian plans. Ground forces reach the planet surface and are engaged by ground forces led by General Wikenas, a tohel. A squad of turians reach the ulie birthing grounds and, mistaking the mothers, pups and the Pale Guards as just animals they use them as target practise while awaiting orders from the fleet. The Pale Guard attack and the event is witnessed by stealth teams on the ground. When General Wikenas hears of this tragedy he gives his troops the order to leave no turian ground forces alive.

With General Wikenas issuing his orders to kill all attackers the order is sent to the stealth teams on the turian vessels to incapacitate the turian leaders and force surrender. The stealth teams bring the conflict to an end and the turians are forced to surrender.

For the turian ground forces, the order comes too late. The last pocket of turian resistance is cornered against the Tyrafaw Cliffs and the sea and are gunned down by ground troops and aircraft. This period in the Shattered Relic War will become known as the Tyrafaw Massacre.

The Citadel Council finally steps in to prevent the Turian Hierarchy from declaring all out war with the obviously more advanced AE.

The AE and the Citadel Council races meet to discuss reparations of the war.

The ulies return the surviving turians to the Citadel and diplomats meet at Sanzi to see the senseless fighting brought by the turian fleets.

It quickly becomes obvious to the Citadel races that the races in the AE are much older than even their sainted Protheans. The ulies are the oldest race they have come across and are exceptionally intelligent because of their species age. The Council races, even the Protheans, could be considered children by the ulies.

The AE refuse to join the Citadel races, and their 'dated' treaties. Since several races in the AE are machine and even cyborgs they would have to genocide whole races to join.

The Migrant Fleet accept the AE's offer of refugee status within their empire and begin immediate operations to set them up on new planets and repair their immune systems.

General Wikenas is censored for his ruthless actions against the turian ground forces at the Tyrafaw cliffs and stripped of his right to lead troops.

On Apher, Jotei Shenpar dies defending Zanthi from a ladroth attack.

2,161 CE – The AE makes first contact with the cybri, a race of AI robots seeking to revive their makers, the race of xytars, after they were almost wiped out by a genetic flaw which developed in their DNA. Many of the cybri's makers were stored in great cryogenic labs manned by cybri overseers. Until the genetic flaw is removed from the xytar it is not logical to revive them from their cryogenic sleep.

Dr. Si Qun (male valea) offers to help the cybri discover the genetic flaw and appoints Kahlee Sindars as tech analyst of both the cybri and the xytar.

Kaden is biotically assessed by the Grey Wardens. Found to have an uncommon control over his biotics for such a young age he becomes a pupil at a Grey Warden academy.

Asher Wikenas (tohel female) is born.

2,163 CE – After the Shattered Relic War a high ranking member of the Ceatroan Order funds a private campaign for there to be a designated sector of AE politics with Citadel influence to rebuild friendly diplomatic bridges between the two. The Apherian Alliance Parliament (AAP) is formed. Designed to act as the voice of the Apherian Empire High-Council to the Citadel Council and as a face of the Apherian military.

The Blue Suns mercenary group is founded by Zae Masosani (Tundra/Arid ulie male) and Vido Sastangi (Arid ulie male) in the Skylian Verge.

Kaden's skill sees him become one of the most promising Grey Warden students for over fifty years.

Kasumi Goto (human female) is born.

2,164 CE – Tali'Zorah nar Rayya (quarian female) is born.

Jax (attix female) is born.

Zanthi finds a damaged cybri drone left by a cybri merchant ship. Zanthi repairs and upgrades the drone's dated systems and names the drone Poske after the coral that most of ulie technology is built with.

2,165 CE – A survey team working for batarian entrepreneur Edan Had'dah discovers a mysterious artefact orbiting an unnamed planet near the Perseus Veil.

2,167 CE – The Leviathan of Dis, a genenetically-engineered living starship believed to be nearly as old as the ulie race, is discovered by a batarian survey team on the planet of Jartar. The Leviathan disappears under dubious circumstances after a batarian dreadnought passes through the Dis system.

2,169 CE – The Alliance continues to expand the AE into the rest of the galaxy, founding more colonies and establishing trade alliances with many of the other species who recognise the authority of the Citadel Council and several races from the Terminus Systems. Some batarian politians cause tension between the Apherian races and the Hedgemony as they compete for territory in the Skylian Verge, but most batarians can see the benefit of trading with a technologically advanced people (despite the ulies placing tight restrictions on what the batarians can trade for given their slaving and pirating history).

After a disagreement between Vido and Zae over hiring batarians into the Blue Suns, Vido betrays Zae and leaves him for dead. All records of Zae's involvement in the Blue Suns are erased.

Jax is abducted by agents of the Red Lotus, a split section of the Ceatroan Order, on Eden Prime. They fake her death and take her to the Teltin Facility on Pragia as part of a project intended to improve biotics. The Ceatroan Order attacks the facility and rescue the subjects, Jax however, was intended to become the project's main focus and cannot be returned to Eden Prime. The Ceatroan Order instead raise her to become a biotic soldier for the Apherian Alliance.

Zanthi Shenpar becomes the Alpha of a small crèche troop (a troop made up of young ulies mostly under the age of 15).

2,170 CE – Commander Olu Vyssar (Arid ulie male) begins to see great potential in Kaden and takes him under his personal tutelage.

2,171 CE – The magaine Fornax is launched.

Zanthi's troop catches a rogue predator terrorizing a town on Apher. Due to the the predator being caught and killed in a pattern of small streams the townsfolk gave Zanthi's troop the name of the Red Streams.

2,172 CE – Kaden Amenka seriously injures his father when the older male kills Commander Vyssar after an argument between the two about how Kaden is treated within his family troop (his gifted biotics secluded him from his family and scared some of the harsher minded adults). After the incident, Kaden disowns his family troop and becomes a Grey Warden Acolyte.

Zanthi Shenpar enlists her troop in the Alliance Parliament's Military Education Programme.

2,174 CE – The new ulie colony of Mindor is attacked in its early stages by batarian slavers before a strong fleet could be garrisoned to protect the solar system. The attack is fought off but some colonists are captured. This year sees the beginning of batarian / Apherian Empire relationships dropping drastically.

Apherian Stealth teams led by Spirit operatives secretly recover captured colonists (mainly youngsters) from the medium sized fleet that attacked Mindor. Once most of the colonists are secured on stealth ships shadowing the batarian vessels the Spirit operatives rig the batarian ships to explode.

Another ulie colony, Yonda, suffers catastrophic dust-form element zero exposure to its atmosphere when a hanar ship explodes in orbit. Many children suffer birth defects, thirty-seven biotic children are born, including Gillian Grayson (human female).

The first A-61 Meltur Gunships are produced.

2,175 CE – In protest at the refusal of the Citadel Council to appeal against Apherian expansion in the Skylian Verge, the batarians close their embassy, withdraw into their home systems, and effectively become a rogue state.

2,176 CE – Zanthi and her troop decide to become a security group in the town they have settled in and go by the name of the Red Streams, they also accept pleas from neighbouring villages.

Other rover troops begin to join Zanthi and learn from the Alliance codes and practices.

2,177 CE – A fly-by over the world of Armeni discovers odd surface protrusions. Upon closer inspection, they are identified as elaborate crypts made by the Zeioph, an extinct spacefaring race. Various Apherian universities seek to perform excavation, but since the planet comes under Citadel space, Council laws hold burial sites as sacrosanct and prevent this. An ongoing debate over the issue ensues.

Kaden Amenka takes his first mission Grey Warden mission with the Alliance military.

2,178 CE – Asher Wilkenas enlists in the Alliance military.

2,179 CE – On a survey mission to Aeia, an important colonization prospect for the Apherian Alliance, the MSV Huga Gersbak disappears and is presumed destroyed.

Zanthi decides to leave the Red Streams to focus on a career in the military and enlists with the Alliance. Zanthi donates half of her wages to the Red Streams organization throughout her career, she has lived on less money than an eighth of what she earns as an Alliance warrior.

2,180 CE – Batarian-funded pirates and criminals launch a surprise attack on the Apherian colony of Elysia, a main trading hub with the Citadel, later known as the Skylian Raid. The pirates had help from hired AE mercenary groups and stolen ships. The assault is repulsed by Alliance ground teams taking shore leave. Zanthi Shenpar is able to rally the civilians and warriors to launch a counter-attack on enemy held locations. Zanthi Shenpar is labelled a hero (the Roaring Ladrothia) and is given a large amount of land to call her own on Elysia. Zanthi donates this land to the Red Streams who build a huge barracks and training centre, recruitment for the Red Streams sky-rockets.

In the wake of the attack, the AE mercenary groups that were hired by the slavers are shut down by the AE and their members either executed for war crimes against the Empire or imprisoned indefinitely on Silent colonies. Many of the individuals facing the Silent colonies commit suicide before reaching Silent controlled space and planets.

The Red Streams become a mercenary group, that follow a doctrine of fighting for the right cause and opposing the wrong cause, whatever the cost.

Zanthi is promoted to rank of Renowned Commander.

2,181 CE – The Anhur Rebellions, a civil war waged over the practise of slavery, begins on the attix and batarian colony world of Anhur and spread throughout the Amun system. Abolitionism supporters hire the ulie Red Streams mercenary group to fight the batarian pro-slavery Na'hesit faction.

2,182 CE – During a recon mission to find a missing colonial pioneer team on Akuze, a unit of fifty MEA warriors is wiped out by thresher maws.

2,183 CE – In retaliation for the Skylian Blitz, the Alliance and the AE launches a major offensive against the moon of Torfan and destroys the criminal bases there, mostly populated by batarians, Apherian forces then spread to neighbouring systems, flushing out pirate and slaver organizations and taking the systems for their own as a show that attacks against Apherian citizens will no longer be tolerated. The threat against Apherian colonies from batarian extremists is curtailed by the sheer force and adaptability of the Apherian forces.

Riding the waves of the Torfan conflicts, the Alliance tracks several pirate FTL exit vectors over a period of six months using covert monitoring devices planted on Theshaca's moons, leading the Alliance to eight more major pirate anchorages that had fled the Torfan conflicts. Since the 'Theshaca Raids', no ships from the Terminus Systems have entered the Hong system.

The Anhur Rebellions end with the abolitionist forces in power, and the reconstruction of Anhur commences. The Red Streams become a major force in mercenary circles after this victory and smaller forces of Red Stream warriors stay behind to police the planets in the wake of the conflicts.

Jax enlists with the Red Streams auxiliary branch, leaving the Ceatroan Order and the Alliance behind her. With her powerful biotics she quickly gains respect from the higher ranks of the Red Streams.

2,184 CE – Admiral Kihalko of the Apherian Alliance begins investigating the Ceatroan secret order.

2,185 CE – Apherian and Citadel engineers collaborate on a project co-sponsored by the Citadel Council: an experimental frigate with a prototype stealth system, the SEV Capia. Davin Ackersan is given command of the ship, and Legendary Commander Shenpar is assigned as executive officer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mass Effect / Spore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**UPDATED: **New timelines and plots have been added.

If anyone sees any continuity errors please inform me and I'll fix them as soon as possible.

I'll add a codex later, but if you want explanations right away, ask in a PM or a review and I'll do my best.

If you want to see what an ulie looks like go to Deviantart and look up Threecats0430, or do a search for "Spore ulie breeds".


	2. Plans in Motion

Next chapter will be a bit more interesting than this one but I hope it fills you in on some of the technology the AE has to play with and some of the characters.

But I'm hoping to add more races to the AE and so I want to send a plea to all the Spore players reading. If you have a race you'll let me borrow (I'll give you full credit for them, of course) to help me fill out the AE and its many races. But even if you don't play Spore and have an idea for a race and you're prepared to let me write them into this story, let me know. If you have any pictures or information on your races leave a web address in a review or a PM.

**UPDATED: **Again, special thanks to the mentioned reviewers from the last chapter for the privilege of letting me write about their creatures.

Sarah

1989 – 2011

Don't Fear the Reaper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mass Effect / Spore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manifest Destiny

Chapter One: Plans in Motion

It had taken them months to construct the Stealth and Espionage Vessel, but that had been expected by the Empire technicians. After all, it had taken the Citadel engineers a ridiculous amount of time to understand just how to manipulate the poske muscle fibres which would sculpt the crafts structure and provide protection and power to the electronics. Then they had to learn how the fibres had to be hardened and strengthened to create the ship's armoured hull, but once the Citadel engineers had understood the intricacies of the manipulation process, the project had gone from strength to strength... until they had to learn how the bio-engineered ship could recycle heat into the electric nerve pulses that would supply the Capia's computers and machine with energy. It was like the Citadel races just couldn't think of anything outside that which their sainted forebearers, the Protheans, had produced thousands of years ago. The construction of this experimental ship, the first of its kind, was more like a biology lesson than a technological marvel for the Citadel engineers who had been chosen to observe and participate in the construction of the starship. Toera Quair, the large Common ulie male who was Engineer Alpha and in charge of making sure the Citadel engineers learned all the new technology couldn't help but feel that the Citadel were moochers in that sense. They had relied on the lesson of technology of a dead race and hadn't bothered to even attempt to find their own way, their own path. The turians, the asari, the salarian, elcor, quarians, hanar and every other race in the rest of the galaxy had used mass effect fields and drives since reaching for the stars. The ulies and the races of the Second Arm had been forced to find their own way, their own modes of travel and so had become the stronger because of it. But they could guide the young Citadel races, stop them from making the same mistakes they had made in their Empire's past, like the sacrilege wrought by the Planet Buster and Rqneu.

A young quarian woman came up to him clutching a data pad and handed it to him, the schematics to the ship's systems were before him and showing green on all levels. "We're ready for the system tests, Chief."

"Thank you, Euea'Mertwa, tell the others to withdraw from the Capia and then start the tests. One at a time, I want to take this slowly." The ulie said, handing the data pad back to the quarian. She nodded curtly and returned to her station. Announcing across the comm systems that the tests were to begin in ten minutes and that all engineering teams still stationed on the Capia withdraw from the experimental craft. The ship was named after a great battle from Apher's history, where the sacred Golden Nation fought the cruel Crimson Nation for the great city of Capia, freeing its enslaved Blue Nation citizens and marking the turning point in that dreadful war, the darkest eras the ulies possessed in their long history as a race, the Thousand Generations War. No other race had raged a war on their fellow brethren for as long as the ulies had fought and killed each other in those darkest of times when the All Maker's eyes had been turned away from them. Even today, there were those who believed the Great Creator had not forgiven them for the loss of life, the Silent colonies were spreading across the Empire and a couple had already been founded beyond the Shattered Relic. The All Maker forgive any of the Citadel or Terminus races that stumbled upon their stations and planets. The galaxy would never see them again.

Toera had to forcibly shake himself out of his nightmarish thoughts of those huge, terrifying beings of the Silent breed and instead watched as the turian team came from under the Capia's left thrusters and gathered their equipment. As the other engineers and teams left the craft for the safety of the testing facilities buildings, the lead of the turian engineers came to see Toera and to watch the tests. "How are those thrusters looking, Mister Jureads?" Toera asked kindly, watching the time on his personal mobile computer. The Apherian's version of the Omni-tool.

"Operational on all counts that my team did, so you shouldn't have any problems there." the turian explained. "It is amazing. The level of sophistication with this machine... I can scarcely get my head around it."

"The tests will take longer than they would normally." Toera said, and began to operate a terminal next to his seat. "These tests would normally be conducted with an AI installed directly into the craft's systems, but given the Citadel's reluctance to work with them we have forgone installing one onto the Capia."

"I am sorry to say this Toera, but I agree with the Council on that decision." Jureads said apologetically "Though I must admit that working with the cybri and EDI has somewhat made me doubt my decision."

"Imperial opinion and your Council both agreed that, as a project, it would be best to observe Council protocol on the construction of the SEV Capia which would path the way for advanced VI technology, then smart VI and then, given the Citadel races opinions at the time, to eventually go to smart AI on the craft. This is the way of things for now, but it will change and you will see that synthetic races are not like your dreaded geth." the ulie explained. The terminal at which Toera was sat at beep and chirped and then a blue light appeared above it. The hologram of a female Arid ulie, straight backed, with graceful limbs and fur, wearing the uniform of a tech specialist shone brightly. "EDI? Excellent, have you checked that all personnel are out of the Capia yet?"

"No, Engineer Alpha Chief Quair. There is still a team withdrawing to the far side of the test range, once they are safely inside the protected buildings I will begin." The AI said. A brief moment past before EDI spoke again "All registered personnel have logged out of the Capia. Beginning Biometric scanners... all decks clear. We are ready to begin start up procedures as soon as you give the order and code to begin, Alpha."

"Begin testing. Code: Crimson's Downfall, Golden Rise. Capia."

"Code input correct, starting up systems and computers." EDI said as data streams and codes began to run the length of her virtual coats and the large Stealth and Espionage Vessel outside the protective glass began to show signs of life.

Biofuel was injected into the craft's reservoir 'stomach' and powered the first stages of the start up tests. The digestion of the fuel created the first huge amounts of electricity the ship had to work with and fed the poske muscle-fibres of the inner hull, creating the plasma 'blood' for the Capia's weapons and armour, as well as being the solution to hide the Capia in space from scanners. The digestion also began creating heat, sending it to the recycling plants in the ships 'livers' to create more electricity. The heart of the Capia, its engine, began to beat and another form of plasma started working its way around the Capia's inner muscles and organs, facilitating the biofuel and muscle fibers as a nerve agent. This plasma found its way to the computers and machines, providing a link between the Capia's vast amounts of electricity and the systems that needed it. The Capia's inside began to glow with the light from the computers and the updating mainframe, then the main lighting which illuminated the decks of the ship activated, flooding the craft with light.

In the safety of the testing buildings, the engineers and specialists kept their eyes to their screens, looking for any sign of problems or dangerous levels of plasma or heat. For three hours the ship and its VI intelligence worked with EDI to slowly test each of the Capia's systems, the Citadel engineers watching as the Empire races went about the controls and fine-tuning.

At last, the codes and numbers flashing across EDI's avatar calmed and she turned to Quair with a smile. "All systems green, all testing clear. Bio-metals and poske-muscles strong and within reasonable stress levels. Plasma and electric impulses operating at ninety-seven percent, VI will be able to adjust heat and force to improve efficiency. The SEV Capia, will be able to operate at full capacity in thirty-three standard hours."

Toera Quair opened communications to all teams and departments. "We have succeeded! The SEV Capia is ready to be released onto the galaxy." A cheer ran through the crowd and shortly afterwards the celebratory drinks and pies followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Manifest Destiny ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although the Apherian Empire had refused to join the Citadel Conventions and its treaties some years ago, the Council had insisted on the Empire, and its many affiliated races, having an embassy on the great space station. Instead of the Presidium Ring, where most other species decided to build their offices, the Apherians had instead opted to build their embassy in one of the poorer ward arms and make a difference for the citizens there. Zakera Ward had once been the worst ward arm to be considered a place to inhabit by any race living on the station, only the less well-to-do members of society thrived in Zakera and those who had fallen on rough times. Since the Apherian Embassy had been built, Zakera Ward had been transformed by the ulies and their Empire's ideals. The Embassy had funded new schools and several large hospitals, training teacher, doctors, nurses and all other manner of staff that were needed by the new facilities and Apherian charities and anonymous benefactors had filled them with proper equipment and computers. The Zakera Ward of the present day was unrecognisable from the Zakera Ward of just twenty years ago.

The Apherian Embassy building was typical of the ulies, round and flowing, the design was made to look like water and was decorated with the the Apherian's sacred golden yellow colour. The building was large enough for each of the Apherian Empire species to have an ambassador stationed there and a large force of Grey Wardens, Red Streams, and Empire Guardians protected the building and also helped C-Sec when needed. The ulie ambassador was Derra Udar, a middle aged Common male who had been working with the Citadel Council as the Apherian Alliance's recommended ambassador since it's inception. His office was also his home and his meeting room, a huge window overlooked the Zakera Ward and the nearby port, it offered a remarkable view of the Presidium Ring and the true expanse of the Citadel station. It helped put things in prospective. The greying male was dressed smartly for his meeting with the military and he watched the coming and going to the public through the window as he drank some water and waited. Behind him he heard the door open and he turned to see two male ulies walk through and salute him. One was a older than he was and was almost completely grey, just a few dark brown tufts remained of his original colour, he wore the dress coats of an Admiral and the marks of an Omnipotent. This was Omnipotent Admiral Stere Hakell.

The male beside him was younger, but starting to grey in his thick, black mane, he wore the dress coats of a Commodore and the marks of the Great. Great Commodore Davin Ackersan was still a male who knew the battlefield intimately. They both were, and Udar wondered briefly before they greeted each other properly, that it was a shame for ulies to know such things as violence, the ulies should be above such things but justice still called for them and the Apherian warriors. The two military males and the ambassador walked to each other and placed their paws together in greeting.

"Thank you for meeting with me at such short notice, brothers," Udar said, leading them to the table to sit down "but a number of things have turned up recently that could prove most fortuitous for us." The ambassador presented the two soldiers with data pads and activated them to reveal the completed SEV Capia.

"This is the ship I've been assigned to captain?" Ackersan asked, reading over the vessel's impressive data.

"Correct, Davin, I know you've had little to do with stealth ships," Hakell said "but a vast majority of the Warriors Council chose your name for the shakedown run and its first covert mission."

"Covert mission?" Davin asked. The admiral and the ambassador turned to their own data pads and transferred a file over to the commodore's pad. Giving him a chance to read the file on his own it, was Udar who eventually broke the silence.

"The attix colony on Eden Prime has discovered a Prothean relic while expanding one of their settlements. We are working with the Council on this and have decided to share whatever information the relic contains." The ambassador said. "Preliminary reports from our researchers on the planet say it's some sort of communication beacon and its why this must be done as quietly as possible. The Citadel Council believe that there may be Terminus species prepared to start a conflict over this artefact."

"That is why we will be using the Capia in this mission. Commodore, I do not need to stress that this knowledge is strictly need-to-know. Not even any of the crew must know until absolutely necessary." Hakell said looking the younger soldier straight in his dark amber eyes.

"Understood, Alpha."

"Speaking of the Council..." Udar said slowly "They want to attempt Spectre recruitment again." Ackersan's ears perked at the news while Hakell's simply flicked irritably.

"Oh, and attempt to try and humiliate themselves further?" the older warrior said bitterly.

Udar carried on, knowing that the Admiral was just voicing his irritation at the news. "The ambassadors and the High Council on Apher have decided to forgive previous events, but this time they have allowed us to choose from the individuals Council Spectres have recommended."

"Who has been recommended?" Ackersan asked. Udar typed something onto his data pad and the pads of the two warriors showed several files on several ulie warriors. "Eutys? As a Spectre? Who recommended that idiot?"

"A salarian I believe." Udar said

"Eutys is serving a prison sentence on a Silent colony for his role in the Torfan Explosions. That damned tohel is out of the question. He's out of existence, indefinitely." Udar deleted Eutys' file from the data pad and then they turned their attention the next file.

"Ah, Obeadu I know of this young male. Quite a service record, but he works better in large groups. Spectres work alone or in much smaller teams, it would be almost cruel to tear the promising male from his regiment." Hakell explained. Beside him Ackersan nodded his head. He'd worked with Obeadu a couple of times dealing with pirates preying on traders between the Apherian and Citadel colonies.

"Well then, what about Shenpar?" said Udar, the two warriors looked at the ambassador with surprise before turning back to the data pad. The file of Zanthi Shenpar was opened before them "Apher born, a rover mother, no data on Jotei though, and for most of her life followed in her mother's footsteps."

"She led the Red Streams for a few years and turned them into an outfit that the Empire saw fit to hire for many of its own security details. We've hired several large squads to protect the embassy here." Ackersan added.

"She proved herself during the Skylian Raid, held off enemy forces until reinforcements could arrive. The Elysia colony wouldn't be standing without her, and it certainly wouldn't be the colony it is today. The planet pretty much belongs to the Red Streams. She's even seen as kin to a young kylos warrior." Hakell commented.

"Well, its true, not even the kylos can question her talents..." Udar said carefully "But should we take her from her career with the Alliance? We need the best with us."

"If the Council wants a hero, Ambassador, Shenpar is the best one we have." Ackersan said. Truth be told, he had been watching Shenpar's progress through the military since her heroics at Elysia, and apparently, so had the Citadel Council.

"Very well, Commodore. If you think she'll make the cut, I'll go with your decision. She'll act as your XO on the Capia. A Council Spectre will be coming with the crew to Eden Prime." Hakell said. Udar looked to the two males and hearing no objection he nodded his head and gathered up the data pads.

"Very well, I'll make the call." Udar left and the two warriors followed him out.

"Davin, I'll leave you to chose your crew for the Capia but make sure they're the best you can get. You have two weeks, any places you haven't been able to fill in that time will be allocated."

"I understand, Omnipotent." Davin said "I know of several good males and females that I'm sure will pounce on the opportunity to be a part of this."

"Then I can expect the crew to be formed in..."

"Five days."

"In five days, Commodore." Hakell smiled and nodded to his fellow warrior. Ackersan saluted the Admiral and turned to leave the embassy, he had things to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Manifest Destiny ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was four days when Hakell received the files of the Capia crew from Ackersan, and he couldn't help but think that the Commodore was a very resourceful warrior. Several names were known to him:

Jen Mora

_Position: _Chief Helmsman

_Race:_ Ulie Tropic

_Gender:_ Male

Jen is a true blooded Tropic ulie. His mother is a civilian contractor with the Apherian Military and due to a history of Vrekis Syndrome (see attached file: Vrekis Syndrome), which causes extreme bone brittleness, on his father's side, she decided to seek help in screening her unborn pup for the condition. Jen was diagnosed with Vrekis Syndrome and when the Apherian doctors realised he had already broken his left arm while in the womb told his mother about an experimental procedure to help strengthen the bones, but like all experiments, her son was pretty much a test subject (see attached file: Prototype Poske Bone Weave Operation).

Deciding to go with the treatment, doctors weaved strengthened poske fibres through his bones in his arms, legs, pelvis, spine, skull and some of his ribs. But, as the surgeons continued down his body, they discovered several bones in Jen's prehensile tail were shattered and couldn't be repaired. With the extent of the damage, surgeons decided to remove his tail as there was no chance for the appendage to recover. As Jen continued to develop, his bones successfully took to the poske weave and so avoided much unnecessary suffering after his birth.

Despite this though, Jen's upbringing and career have been coloured by his health. Jen was born and spent his early life on Arctur Station because of his mother's job and grew up around ships. When he was old enough to enlist, he joined the Apherian military as a pilot. He got the nickname of 'Joker' from his flight school instructor, due to the fact that he rarely smiled – he worked hard for his merit (see attached file: Flight Student Jen Mora Merits). By the end of his training, however, Jen surpassed the other students and many of his instructors.

Nader Pressit

_Position:_ Chief Navigator

_Race:_ Ulie Common

_Gender:_ Male

Pressit joined the Apherian military shortly after he finished his education, desiring to follow in his grandather's footsteps. Before the Capia, he was stationed on the SSV Agarcoup, a frigate which was one of the first reinforcements to arrive at Elysia after the Skyllian Raid.

Carili Chakan

_Position:_ Chief Medical Officer (CMO)

_Race:_ Ulie Common

_Gender:_ Female

Carili Chakan enlisted in the Alliance a couple of years after it was formed having worked in several hospitals and clinics after graduating medical school (see attached file: Doctor Carili Chakan Merits). The young doctor had hoped for adventure within the military and travelling the galaxy, though she quickly realised that military life was not as romantic as she had imagined it to be. However, she stayed with the military and the Alliance in order to do her duty and serve the Empire, raising seven pups throughout her life.

Like most Apherian doctors, she has taken many courses in alien biology, enabling her to treat the non-Ulie crew members, like Tohels and Racions.

Renger Adi

_Position:_ Chief Engineer

_Race:_ Ulie Common

_Gender:_ Male

Engineer Adi has served on every class of Imperial starship. Prior to redeployment on the Capia, Adi served on the SSV Tikqo. He also had a hand in helping to construct the SEV Capia's biometal skeleton, it's engines and drive core and helped install its computers (see attached file: SEV Capia).

Zanthi Shenpar

_Position: _Commander

_Race:_ Ulie Mongrel

_Gender:_ Female

Born and raised in the wilds of Apher to a rover female, Zanthi is a born survivor and her skills were honed by her daily struggles. Witnessing her mother's death when she six caused her to recluse for several years and disappear from authority figures that keep an eye on the rover numbers on Apher. She resurfaced in the sacred city of Quel at the age of nine, where she found and repaired Poske (see attached file: Poske, Cybri Bodyguard).

For the next six years she and Poske continued to travel and eventually Zanthi was forced to hunt for food at the Apher birthing grounds where the Pale Guard caught her and made her become the adoptive 'parent' of three orphaned pups. This was in the year of 89,204 ARU during the height of the worldwide wild food shortage. When the season was over Zanthi allowed the three pups to follow her when she left the birthing grounds.

By the time she was eighteen Zanthi's troop had grown and settled down on the edge of a settlement and enlisted them into one of the AAP's Military Education Programme and all members gained high marks and possibilities for work within the Alliance or Empire (see attached file: Red Stream Troop Exam Results).

Four years after completing the AAP Programme, the Red Streams used their training to become a security group, as the town they had settled in had problems with rouge predators entering homes and businesses, Zanthi was a part of the Red Stream Security detail for a while but when she turned twenty five she left the security side of her troop's career and joined the Alliance Military with Poske immediately setting herself as an exemplary warrior.

A year later Great Captain Zanthi Shenpar led civilian and planetary militia against Batarian funded pirates and slavers in the Skylian Raid of 89,215 ACF after which she was granted the rank of Commander.

_Zanthi still has strong ties with the Red Streams who have since become a well-known mercenary group which the Empire and Alliance have hired for security details_ (see attached file: Red Streams Mercenary Group)_. She is one of their most important donors and may be able to give insight into the Red Stream's command structure, despite telling authorities she has nothing to do with the command of the Red Streams any longer._

_Given Zanthi's importance to the Red Streams and her being highly regarded by Alliance and Imperial warriors it is unwise to attempt to force her into revealing any information._

Kaden Amenka

_Position:_ Grey Warden

_Race:_ Ulie Common / Tundra

_Gender:_ Male

Grey Warden auxiliary volunteer for the SEV Capia. He will lead two other Grey Warden (see attached file: Grey Wardens) warriors to support marine teams on planets. A gifted biotic wired with an amp of his own make. However, he has been known to occasionally suffer from severe migranes.

_Since the Grey Wardens are not official recognized as a part of the Apherian military, his files are kept by the Grey Wardens' organization._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mass Effect / Spore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For any of you wondering, I did take the Grey Wardens from Dragon Age, its also developed by BioWare, so why not?


	3. The SEV Capia

Another chapter and a bit more on the Apherian Empire's ranking system. Since the Ulies are my Spore creation I have used the Captain ranks and titles from the Galactic stage as my guide. These are in order of military experience and training: Cadet / Captain / Commander / Commodore / Admiral.

These are the titles in order of renown, personal talent and respect: The Celebrated / The Renowned / The Great / The Legendary / All-Powerful / Ultimate Being / Omnipotent.

A cadet with no title is a rookie warrior, fresh from training they have not been tested in actual battle or have fought in very few battles and have yet to distinguish themselves. A Celebrated Cadet is a warrior who has fought exceptionally well in a battle or is a popular face with all those in his/her regiment. A cadet **does not** need to attain all the titles before they are promoted to a new rank, in fact, many cadets do not even earn one title before they are promoted.

Chief is just another word for Alpha, these individuals are not necessarily part of the military but are often highly regarded by military personnel. Renowned Chief Medical Officer Chakan and Legendary Chief Helmsman Mora are examples. Chiefs, those who are are in the military, associated with the military or just construction workers or hospital staff can earn titles too.

On another note, it has been brought to my attention that some of the names that I've change to better fit with the new races are a bit confusing and so I'll give a brief translation here before the chapter starts:

Davin Ackersan = David Anderson

Kaden Amenka = Kaiden Alenko

Jen Mora – Jeff Moreau

Asher Wikenas = Ashley Williams

Admiral Kihalko = Admiral Kahoku

Derra Udar = Donnel Udina

Admiral Stere Hakell = Admiral Steven Hackett

Navigator Nader Pressit = Navigator (human name unknown) Pressly

Doctor Carili Chakan = Doctor (human name unknown) Chakwas

Engineer Reger Adi = Engineer (human name unknown) Adams

Zanthi Shenpar = Shepard

Sarah

1989 – 2011

Don't Fear the Reaper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mass Effect / Spore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manifest Destiny

Chapter Two: The SEV Capia

Aturus was a large, deep space station which acted as the gateway between the sector of Apherian controlled space around the Silent Relay and the rest of the galaxy. It was at the forefront of Apherian technology and advancement with state of the art facilities and a biosphere that contained and controlled acres of woodlands and fields for growing fruits, grains and vegetables from several worlds. It was just half the size of the Citadel, but it was just as impressive. Aturus was permanently scrutinized by the other races outside of the Empire and visitors from the Citadel and the Terminus races came to gawk at and admire the Apherian Empire's diverse cultures and species, along with the signature technology each Empire race brought with them. There was no doubt that some of those Citadel and Terminus visitors came to try and gather hints about the Apherian's advanced technology so as to recreate it for themselves. Some had even sent in infiltrators to try and gather data from ship slip-space drives and bio-technology; none had succeeded.

The station had originally been built only for the purpose of being a shipyard and a simple rest stop for trading vessels and patrol ships to refuel and be repaired while their crews could rest before moving on to the next colony or to return to their patrol routes. But its proximity to nearby Elysia and the joint agricultural colony of humans and attix on Eden Prime meant it had become a 'crossroads' for not only the Apherian trading vessels and patrols but Citadel and Terminus traders too. The wealth brought in from these exchanges had quickly transformed Aturus from a simple rest stop to a huge trader's port and important strategic location for the Apherian Empire. It had grown to its great size as barracks, residential areas, the recreational areas and the seats of power had been built up. The station was also involved in warrior deployment across the sector and recently the Aturus docks were abuzz with activity and rumour. A new ship had been unveiled a day ago from one of the experimental shipyards and the Citadel races had been quick to recognise the obvious turian influences in its design.

From a huge balcony overlooking the craft a dark furred male ulie with a black mane and black feathering on his arms and legs gazed at the ship with his warm brown eyes. Kaden Amenko and the two other Grey Wardens he was to lead while on this deployment had got their first look at the SEV Capia. Its curves were recognisable as ulie while the sharp edges and construction of the thrusters were turian, the two aesthetics together created an amazing look with the dark sheen of the bio-technology of the outer hull and its shining armour. The SEV Capia waited for its crew while engineers and technicians ran last minute diagnostics and remote checks before the Capia's maiden flight. Kaden, though not the most knowledgeable when it came to ships, thought the craft was beautiful and apparently, so did Gyrt. "That is a good looking ship." the Ossharn ulie said. Ossharn was an old ulie world which had a unique environment and the ulies who had colonized the planet had adapted to its fungus based ecology to become a completely new breed. The Ossharns looked very much the same as Common ulies, but their ears were much more rounded and their fur had a metallic sheen, like oil in water. It was also very rare for an Ossharn to have an allergy, only fifteen percent of the entire Ossharn population, some eleven million, including Ossharn cross-breeds, had any form of allergy.

"It's a bit big for a stealth vessel, isn't it?" asked Famir, a Common male.

"Doesn't make it any less grand, Famir." Kaden said. The three males were the Grey Warden auxiliaries which had volunteered for the posts on the experimental stealth ship. They were dressed in their casual uniform coats with the Grey Warden arms emblazoned on the shirts. Each male had brought their iconic Grey Warden battle armor which was carried in a case strapped across the back of their hips, and over their strong tails. Kaden and Famir had their clothing sacks over their shoulders while Gyrt preferred to have his strapped with his armour case. "Well, we best call in with Commodore Ackersan." Kaden said and led his brothers towards the Capia. The off-duty Wardens drawing respectful looks from the Imperial crowds as they past by and the Guardians and warriors preventing the public from getting too close to the hanger where the Capia was docked.

Once the Wardens had shown their ID's to the Alliance warriors guarding the Capia's docking bay, Kaden saw that the craft was more contemporary to Apherian standards inside, but Turian design was still very obvious.

Great Commodore Ackersan was the first to greet Kaden, Gyrt and Famir once they had come through the Decontamination chamber in the airlock. The older warrior had been talking to a diminutive Tropic ulie wearing an eyeshader hat sat in the Chief pilot's seat in the bridge. Kaden had been able to catch the end of the conversation before the Commodore greeted them; something about the XO being delayed. Kaden felt the very tip of his tail flick in annoyance and he whined, _almost_ inaudibly.

"_Great, another attix officer."_ Kaden thought to himself. Attix and racion officers had a habit of arriving late for their first meeting with new crew to show who was in charge and who held the authority. Racions rarely joined the Alliance branch of the Apherian military since many of them held a grudge against the Citadel races over the attack on Sanzi, so Kaden just assumed it was an attix.

The Commodore had heard him whine though, and turned around to face the three males, his conversation with the Tropic helmsman over.

"Ah, Grey Wardens, I'm glad that your Order saw fit to send us three of its number."

"The Warden Commander believed this mission warranted a full party. We await your orders, Commodore." Kaden explained.

"Good. Your lockers are on the Engineering level, catalogue your belongings, weapons and armour, then report in with Doctor Chakan in Medical. Dismissed."

The three Wardens saluted, standing straight-backed and holding their right hands in a clenched fist over their hearts, and then walked towards the direction of the elevator to go to Engineering and find their lockers.

~~~~~~~~~~ ME / S ~~~~~~~~~~

Kaden was the first to report to the Medical Bay. A modest set-up with three beds capable of expanding to a size big enough to allow even a Krogan to lay upon one comfortably while allowing a medical team to check any wounds the occupier may have. It was well lit and instruments hung from secured racks while drugs and drips and all manner of other medical things were stowed away neatly in places that the Capia medics could reach. A desk with a glowing screen hanging above it drew his attention to the old female Common sitting at the desk and looking at him through the holographic screen. She had a light brown mane with a darker brown face which was gradually turning grey. Kaden saluted sharply.

"I'm looking for CMO Chakan. Kaden Amenka, Grey Warden. I've come to report in." Kaden explained and the female's ears perked up a little.

"At last, I was beginning to think the crew couldn't find the Medical Bay. Now I just know they're trying to delay the inevitable." the doctor said as she stood up from her seat. Without the blue glow of the holo-screen in the way Kaden could see she was wearing the light, clean, tight coats of a surgical doctor and the marks of the Reknowned emblazoned on her right shoulder as she greeted him, holding her hands out so he could lay his own large paws against hers. "I am Doctor Chakan, please have a seat on one of the lower beds, Kaden." Kaden did as instructed and removed his top, knowing that the doctor would have to perform some tests to ensure he was fit for duty. Ulies didn't have the same inhibitions as say the Humans or the Valea, or most other races about clothing, many Ulies actually saw clothing as a hindrance; they had fur. What was the point? But the military and government had taken the idea of using clothing to help point out rank and also to help diplomatic terms with other races. The Valea saw it as a sacred transgression to see their 'prophets' in such a vulnerable state as being undressed. On the holo-screen the doctor had brought up his health files and, transferring the screen to a portable computer frame, was able to take the data with her as she came to look over him. "Celebrated Grey Warden Captain, Kaden Ameka. Three quarts Common Ulie, one quart Tundra. Biotic. Self-made amp. Known to suffer from migraines. How are you feeling now, Captain." she asked, putting the data pad onto the end of the bed Kaden was sat on.

"Fine. The migraines usual come about only when I've pushed my biotics a little far, sometimes flashing light and strong smells can bring them on too."

"Do you take any pain killers?"

"Only the everyday commercial ones, just to take the edge off. I've never gone over their dosage instructions and I've never gone to medical for a stronger pain killer. They are quite rare."

"Very well, Amenka, but I do have the stronger pain killer here just in case." Chakan said, and began to sift through his thick mane to look at the skin hidden by the feathery strands. "Any parasites or rashes recently?"

"There was an outbreak of fleas at my Grey Warden barracks about two months ago, but that problem should be clear by now. We used the normal treatment shampoo and shots to clear them up." Kaden explained and moved his head so the doctor could get her fingers under his throat. The thick fur of an Ulie's mane and the warmth of the neck provided those Maker-damned bloodsuckers the perfect place to breed.

"You're all clear but I'll give you another shot before you go." Chakan said. She parted some of his fur to see fading scars of angry scratches along his neck where the poor male had been so tormented by his flea infestation to the point that his claws had broken through his skin and bled. It must have made the shampoo treatments excruciatingly painful. She next took his hands and instructed him to unsheathe his inch long claws before taking his feet and asking him to do the same with the claws in his toes. All claws looked normal and healthy. "Head please."

Kaden bent down so his head was at a level the doctor could reach.

"Have you had any problems with your eyes and mouth in the past eight months?"

"No Doctor."

"Open your jaws, please."

Kaden opened his mouth, revealing his large canines. The doctor examined his tongue and gums, all a healthy pink colour. There was a filling in one of his back molars from a root canal operation when he was younger, that was no worry, it was all in his files.

"You're teeth look good, much better than some I've come across."

Kaden made an agreeable sound from his throat, since the doctor was still holding his jaws open. She moved on to his eyes, a quick check with a light revealed everything was in order and his eyes were fine. An ear check came up the same, but she did check behind the ears as well because fleas were also drawn to these areas; no fleas but more fading scratches.

"Please stand on the yellow tile." The tile was at the foot of the bed and big enough to fit the hulking form of a Tohel within its lines. The doctor returned to her desk, taking the holo-screen with her which she placed back onto its original position, putting the computer frame to the side. A beam of light shone down onto Kaden and he stood still until the light turned off and went to stand at Chakan's desk as she read the results of the scan. "Good bone density, pulse rate fine and muscles strong and healthy. You're four foot, nine inches tall and six foot long from nose to tail tip."

"That sounds right." Kaden said. Chakan gave the Grey Warden the promised flea shot before letting him put his shirt back on.

"We're all done Captain. You can do what you want until the Commodore calls you."

"Thank's doctor. I'll see you around then."

"Not too often I hope Amenka." Kaden nodded and gave the older female a smile as he left the Medical Bay to find something to do while waiting for the rest of the Capia's crew to arrive and for the mission to start.

~~~~~~~~~~ ME / S ~~~~~~~~~~

It hadn't been much longer after his medical for the rest of the crew to arrive. Ulies mostly, but there were also Attix, Humans, Devios, Karlants and even a Horpetter Requisitions Officer. Luckily for Doctor Chakan the medics in her medical team had been some of the first to reach the Capia before the warriors, engineers and technicians so she didn't have to do all the medical reports by herself. Kaden, who had experience in piloting ships as well as technician training, found himself drawn towards the bridge as the Capia began to fill with more crew and eventually came face to face with the small Tropic helmsman he had seen talking with the Commodore when he and his Warden brothers had arrived. "Hey there big guy, can I help you?" the Tropic asked from his seat.

"Just came to introduce myself, I'm classed as a Secondary pilot anyway so I just wanted to see what all the fuss about."

"Fuss? You obviously know nothing about this pup, Amenka."

"You know my name already?"

"Commodore told me when you and those other two went to find your lockers." the little Tropic said, as Kaden sat down in one of the seats beside the Chief Helmsman the Tropic turned his head to look at the larger male. "Legendary Chief Helmsman Jen Mora, just call me Joker. Jen's such an old fashioned name everyone thinks I'm some old grey." 'Joker' said as he presented his left paw, Kaden carefully pressed his right paw against Joker's, the differences in their sizes obvious as Joker's whole hand was dwarfed by Kaden's palm.

As the two males talked it became clear to Kaden that working with Joker was going to be a double-edged sword, he was a prankster and Kaden often found himself an easy target for pranksters for some reason. Still, Joker was that kind of individual that knew his job very well and thrived in his work, Kaden did notice that he was missing his iconic Tropic tail, but had more tact than to simply ask. He did wonder what had happened to the Tropic that meant his tail was gone. A communications line began to flash to Joker's right and the Tropic pressed the button before talking into his headset mike. "This is the Capia, secure line three. Requesting identification." At this point the over end of the line answered but Kaden couldn't hear what was being said. He did become a little nervous as he saw Joker's eyes widen and his ears perk at what was being said. "Uh... very well Legendary Commander, I will inform the Great Commodore of your arrival." the communication line stopped flashing as the person on the other end disconnected, but Joker immediately opened up another line to the Commodore's quarters. "Commodore, the Legendary Commander and the Council Spectre are here. They are waiting for you to grant them entry."

_A Council Spectre, on the Capia. The Council must be desperate to get back in the Empire's good graces if they're sending one of their agents for just a shakedown cruise observation._ thought Kaden and he watched Joker try to process the news too.

"By the Maker, they got _her_. They got _her_ to be on this ship!"

"Joker, what are muttering about? Do you know the Spectre?" At Kaden's question the little Tropic spun his head round to look at the Grey Warden.

"The Spectre? No, I don't know the Spectre, only that he's a Turian and one of the Council's best operatives. What little that's worth to us anyway. Those moches have nothing over the Apherian Spirits."

"Then who were you talking about?"

Joker looked shocked. "You don't know? I would have thought they'd have told you of all Ulies, you're leading the Grey Warden's, yeah?"

"Yes, but only two of my brothers on this mission."

"Wow. They really didn't want this to get out if they haven't told any of the other Chiefs." said Joker, at that point, they saw Commodore Ackersan leave the Capia to allow the new guests onboard. "You really didn't know?" Joker asked desperately.

"I didn't even know there was going to be a Spectre on board, Joker. Who's this Legendary Commander?"

"You're going to be in for a surprise." Joker almost sang as the door to decontamination opened.

Ackersan was first to step through, leading the way for a tall Turian with an intricate white face marking. Top Council species weaponry was held by strong magnets on a weapon rack attached to his back, ready at a moments notice to be drawn and fired. He was the Council Spectre, but it was the flying Cybri drone that attracted Kaden's eyes and all those manning the Capia's computers along the bridge as it flitted in and turned about, looking around. This little drone was about the size of a cat, an Earth animal often maintained as pets by the Humans, and was vastly more upgraded and advanced than others of its kind. Two long legs were tucked up under its body and four arms were drawn into its torso so that it could fly more easily in the confines of the Capia. This drone was well known by anyone who had watched the vids about Elysia or read the news-screens during that terrible time when the Batarians had launched their selfish raids. It had been photographed and filmed just as many times as the female it was always with, this was Poske, named after the unique coral that the Ulies had brought to the galaxy from their homeworld of Apher.

A fourth individual stepped in through the door from the chamber and Kaden felt his ears lower instinctively and his back haunch to make himself look smaller, it was a show of great respect among Ulies and Kaden noticed Joker's ears were lowered too. The Legendary Commander Zanthi Shenpar stood with the Commodore and the Council Spectre in her civilian clothes. Armour case strapped across the back of her hips and tail and her clothes sack over her shoulders, she was smaller than Kaden had thought she would be, about three feet tall, but the scars that littered her face told of the hardships she had encountered in her career as well as the harsh life she had lived as a rover. As Poske unfurled _his_ legs to land on Zanthi's armour case she turned her gaze to Kaden and Joker in the cockpit. The Grey Warden snapped a salute and Joker bowed his head, she nodded slowly back to them and then followed the Commodore and the Spectre further into the ship. Poske still perched on her armour case as she walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mass Effect / Spore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm still hoping some people will let me write their Spore creatures into this story to help me fill out the Apherian Empire. Remember, if you'll allow me to use your creature or creatures, write a bit about them in a review or a private message and I'll write a little something over a private message just for you to see if I can integrate your race into Manifest Destiny. They are **your** beloved creations and I don't want to write them as something completely different than what **you** want them to be.

If you have pictures or artwork of your creature let me know so I can describe them better. Thank you very much. If you have any questions regarding this, let me know in a review or a private message.


	4. The Roaring Ladrothia

Again, thanks to everyone who allowed the use of their creatures in this story but I'm always willing to accept more. It doesn't have to be a creature, it could be an idea for a new ulie breed, or just a cool little idea.

I got the idea for the Ossharns from my love of fungus biology and Clown Fish, the anemones they live with are poisonous but they are immune to them. Or the Silent ulies, you'll be reading more about them later in the story, but I got the idea for them from one of my favourite horror games. (Like you can't guess which one.)

Sarah

1989 – 2011

Don't Fear the Reaper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mass Effect / Spore ~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manifest Destiny

Chapter Three: The Roaring Ladrothia

Zanthi could not deny the SEV Capia was a nice looking ship and that its was one of the most promising and advanced ships in the the galaxy... at least by Citadel standards. But by Apherian standards the SEV Capia wasn't even one tenth of the ship it could be and Zanthi wondered if the Empire was building a twin beyond the Shattered Relic in compliance to their own building codes and construction regulations. It wasn't that the ship didn't have an interstellar drive or slip-space generator that made Zanthi anxious, she understood that the Capia was built in part to help the Empire understand the workings of mass effect technology, so the Capia had a mass effect drive instead. The Council had argued with the Empire for many months about integrating the slip-space generator technology onto the ship as well, much to their chagrin, the Empire steadfastly refused. If the Council, or worst, the Terminus races got their hands on technology that pretty much enabled near instantaneous travel to anywhere within a twenty-five thousand light-year radius, the young races would no doubt drive themselves to extinction over needless war and ancient grudges.

No; as the fair furred Commander walked down to the Medical Bay, Zanthi's most worrying thing about this ship was that it had no AI overseer. The VI protocols which had replaced the AI on the Capia just could not handle the same level of information from Life Support, Offensive and Defensive Hacking, Hull Defense and Crew Support. That worried Zanthi something terrible; more than once an Empire ship's AI overseer had saved the lives of it's host's crew. In terms of Apherian technology everything, from the stealth systems to the crew sleeper pods, was sub-standard. Only to the races outside of the Empire was it ground-breaking. She did have great expectations of the crew, however, Commodore Ackersan had claw-picked the crew to help compensate for the lack of AI support and Zanthi couldn't say the Empire had not gained anything from the Capia project as the insight into mass effect technology and how to integrate it into everyday life would serve the Empire well.

Still. Couldn't these systems be tested on commercial craft first? Why a warship? And by the All-Maker! Why a _stealth_ warship? Zanthi knew they were questions she was unlikely to ever get answers for, either from the Empire, the Alliance, or the All-Maker itself. No doubt the High Council and the Alliance Parliament knew what they were doing, Zanthi just hoped the Citadel Council didn't think it 'entitled' them to make outlandish claims to the Terminus races, the Apherian Empire could not become a power statement to be banded about by some young government like an akrili whelp brandishing a stick.

Zanthi caught sight of the dining hall and, after thinking for about a second about how some chivey soup might help her calm down a bit, she detoured to get something to eat before reporting in with the medical team. She was frustrated, somewhat confused, angry from being ordered away from the arms of her troop members and their warm hearts, and she was very irritable because of it. As she punched in the holographic buttons to order some food she heard Poske's flight motors hum and his weight lift from her armour case. He landed on a corner of the nearest table and with her chivey soup steaming in a bowl she took the nearest seat to him. The cybri drone's four optics stared up at her as she blew onto the soup to cool it then took a sip. "I'm acting like an ooran with a bad braincase, aren't I?" she asked, licking her lips.

Poske beeped and whistled.

"You moche! I'm not that bad!" Zanthi growled at her drone.

Poske responded with a sing-song trill, paying no attention to the ulie's growling which stopped abruptly as he finished his sentence.

"Oh... yeah... the Guardians at the barrier." Zanthi said quietly, remembering how she snapped at the ulie guards stopping the civilians from getting too close to the ship as they stopped her and Nihlus when asking for the turian to show his ID. The female sighed tiredly. "Why me Poske? If this is just a shakedown cruise why we got a full crew and innards? And cancelling leave, that's not normal for the Empire or the Big AP. What's going on?"

The drone whistled and bleeped quickly.

"Really. Then how do you explain Nihlus?" Zanthi asked, effectively cutting Poske's argument. "A government does not send a bruiser of his skill on a shakedown cruise no matter how important the new sprockets is to them. Something huge is going to happen and I would prefer to be downwind when it gets to the All Maker's maw."

Poske remained quiet, computing what his Commander and best friend had said while she drank the rest of her soup. Zanthi put forward a valid argument and Poske could not think of anything he could say that may help to alleviate her worries. He chimed in a non-committal way.

"You pretend to believe that, and I'll pretend to believe you." Zanthi said draining the last of the soup from the bowl and swallowing the lumps of meat and vegetables. Poske took to the air again as the Commander placed her bowl into the automated cleaner to be used again when needed. "Can't put the prodding off any longer, let's go." she sighed.

Poske beeped and flew after his Commander, his flight motors whirring pleasantly as she walked towards the Medical Bay.

~~~~~~~~~~ ME / S ~~~~~~~~~~

The medical team consisted of two ulies (including Chakan), a chornt, an attix, a human and a devio. All had served on military vessels previously and were highly experienced. That had Carili Chakan wondering if this really was just a shakedown cruise. They had a full crew and there were only a few cadets, and even they had earned impressive titles. Chakan was helping Kri Ut, the female attix on her team, sort through the medical supplies and making sure they were marked properly and in their correct places. The devio was an older member of his race, his wings ragged and lightly torn from years of use, was typing notes and amounts of medical substances and pills onto his PMC as Chakan and Ut read out the information on each of the vials and drips. Vern Der Pa'kosh Devio had built his PMC with years of experience in his field of work under his hands, he designed it to help with his stock control with the medical team's supplies to keep track of how much of what drug was used and who it was used on. An important position, considering that one races' headache tablet could be another races' most potent poison.

It was he that saw the ulie warrior and the cybri drone enter and he took over from Carili as she went to greet the Commander and the ship's only AI crew member.. "Doctor Chakan?"

The doctor nodded, allowing the light furred female to press her paws against her own. "Legendary Commander Zanthi Shenpar, I have come to report in." Carili looked a little shocked when the younger female introduced herself but recovered quickly, now sure that the crew must have been chosen for a mission of importance after the shakedown. This young female was not 'just a another mission' material.

Poske chimed next to her, hovering beside Zanthi's ear.

"It is an honour to meet you both. But I'm sorry to say my Cybrin is not the most impressive, Warrior Poske."

The drone suddenly whirred mechanically as he re-routed his communication systems before addressing Chakan again. "Very sorry, Healer. Should'a changed ma sprockets and cogs the moment I got to the bird." Red was an old Apher dialect originating in the ancient Golden Nation and was the ulie equivalent to the human's Cockney Rhyming Slang, without the rhyming. The Red Streams were the masters of this eccentric dialect and with their rise it had unofficially been named after them. It made sense that Zanthi and Poske spoke it; Zanthi had been the Alpha of the troop that had founded the Red Streams and she had probably taught it to the orphan rovers in her care. Poske had been with Zanthi since she was a pup and had learnt from her too.

"Sorry, Doctor. I've been meaning to teach him to lessen his accent." the Commander explained.

Chakan just shook her head to show it wasn't that much of a problem. "Thank you, Poske, Doctor Kintyre can prepare the diagnostics terminal for your maintenance report. She's the only chornt on the medical team, I saw her last in the back room checking the computers." Poske thanked her and then flew past the two ulies and disappeared into the back of the medical bay as Zanthi removed her armour and clothes sack, leaving them out of the way before sitting on the nearest bed and taking off her shirt. Chakan had already pulled Zanthi's files and medical history from the terminal on her desk before standing in front of the younger female. For someone who was as well received as Zanthi was, she was rather mysterious in terms of her medical history. The earliest file the Empire had of her past health came from when she was thirteen. A broken arm from a fall that a concerned ulie office-chief had paid to have set and plastered; to ensure that Zanthi's arm healed correctly. After the female had joined the Alliance military her medical reports were much more accountable.

"Legendary Commander, Zanthi Shenpar. Mixed blood. Rover on Apher."

"That's me, a pure bred mongrel." Zanthi said with humour in her voice.

The Chief Doctor smiled. Setting down her data pad she began combing through Zanthi's pale fur and chestnut mane.

"How's your history with parasite's Commander? Your files don't have details on anything mundane." Chakan asked parting Zanthi's slightly course fur to see if there were any tell-tale scars.

"Never had much of a problem with fleas. Always had a healthy stock of flea shampoo while I was a rover, the stuff was free in every clinic so I had no excuse not to have any." Zanthi explained. Chakan made agreeing noises knowing full well that shampoo treatments for everyday parasites were indeed free on every ulie colonized world. "I did get skinworms when I was younger but that was treated quickly."

"Skinworms? They're a bit more serious than fleas, why isn't this in your file?"

"Got them when I was four, my mother knew a lot of troops, some were in medical professions. My mother knew how to get things we needed and she was very reclusive. I imagine she asked the troop to keep it off records and having caught the worms early enough they humoured her."

"I see. No worries then. You might want to note it down in your files even though you can't remember much of it yourself." The Commander's pelt was clean and healthy, despite the fur being a bit course, but that was expected from a rover. "Head please." Zanthi allowed Chakan to examine her scars and hetrochromia eyes, blue on the right, green on the left. Checking her ears for lice or soreness Doctor Chakan then looked at her teeth, which apart from being a bit worn for her age garnered no concern from the Chief Doctor. A full-body scan was the last bit of information needed by the Medical staff before Zanthi could begin her service on the Capia. When the scan was complete and Zanthi's health noted on the computers Chakan allowed her to leave and she was followed shortly after by Poske, who had needed one of his micro-bolts in his right arm replacing.

With all the official reports done, the Capia was free to leave port and as Zanthi sorted everything into her locker and dressed into her military coats and fur bindings she felt the craft moving and the inertia as it took off through the void of space surrounding Aturus.

It was time for her to greet the crew properly and explore the Capia's nooks and crannies, Zanthi preferred a much more paws-on approach when it came to leadership, it worked with her little troop while she was a rover and with the Eylsia colonists. Her first stop would be the bridge, she wanted to meet the Tropic male who had been designated as Chief Helmsman for the ship, 'Joker's' commendations were astounding. Her stride was strong and full of purpose as she walked through the CIC receiving salutes and greetings as she made her way to the bridge and she listened to the Tropic pilot's voice over the communication lines as they approached the relay to take them out of the system.

Zanthi reached the bridge in time to witness the Capia's first relay jump. The turian Spectre, Nihlus, was there too and Kaden Amenka, the large Common male that she had seen with the pilot when she had first got into the ship, was sitting at a secondary systems monitoring station to the right of the pilot.

"Hitting the relay in three... two... one." Zanthi felt the tug of the jump pull her backwards but she had served on ships long enough to stay on her feet and the tall figure of Nihlus didn't seem to even move from the recoil the ship experienced when it reached the next system, she stood behind the pilot's chair. "Thrusters, check. Navigation, check. Heat dispersal, green. Internal heat transmission sinks, engaged. All systems online and showing green. Drift, just under eight hundred K."

"Eight hundred is good, the Commodore will be pleased." Nihlus said and left, nodding to Zanthi as he past her.

"I hate that male." Joker said suddenly, making sure the turian was out of earshot, the Tropic male's bay and brown fur was stood slightly on end from irritation and his ears were laid back in aggression.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment," Kaden directed to the small tropic, though Zanthi noticed his eyes were on her "I thought that any compliment coming from a person like Nihlus would have been cause for an inflated ego."

"Remembering to make sure you're properly sheathed before coming out of the public convenience, that's good. _I_ just jumped us across the galaxy using a piece of technology designed from ancient alien artefacts and hit a target the size of a clawtip, _that_, Amenka, is incredible!" Joker explained to the larger male, who rolled his eyes and continued to look at the monitor in front of him while the Tropic pilot ranted. Zanthi remained quiet and just listened to the banter between the two. Poske had floated off to do his own thing at one of the other terminals on the bridge. "Besides, Council Spectres are trouble, something always happens around them because they're too heavy handed. With one of our Apherian Spirits, you don't know they're there until they've put the bullet in your head, and even then you'll wonder if it was them. Call me paranoid if you want but Nihlus on this ship means something else is going on."

"You're paranoid." Kaden said, and Zanthi wondered if the large male was saying that for Joker's sake, or for his own peace of mind. "For the Council races, the Capia symbolises a chance to advance, it's not that unreasonable that they wouldn't send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Maybe, but investment or not, you do not send a Spectre on a shakedown run." Zanthi said seeing Joker jump slightly in his chair and turn his head to look at her.

"Commander Shenpar! Sorry I didn't see you." Joker said quickly, ears drooping in submission. "You agree with me? About Nihlus?"

Zanthi nodded, and saw Kaden's ears perk in interest but he kept his eyes on the monitor.

"So there is more going on than the Commodore says..." a communications line beeped and flashed before Joker could continue what he had been saying and Commodore Ackersan's voice barked at the pilot.

"Joker, status report."

"Just cleared the mass relay, Commodore. Stealth systems have been engaged and everything is looking solid."

"Good. Find a Comm Buoy and send the reports to the Alliance."

"Yes Alpha." Joker replied, then quickly stated "Alpha, I think Nihlus is looking for you."

"He's found me, Pilot. Tell the Commander to meet me and Nihlus for Debriefing." The comm line went silent and the pilot turned his head to look at Zanthi.

"You got that, Commander?"

"Like calm water. Ackersan sounded angry, something's gone wrong already."

"Don't read too much into it, the Commodore always sounds angry to me." Joker said as she left.

"Can't possibly imagine why." she heard Kaden say towards the pilot.

Zanthi chuckled to herself as Poske came back to floating beside her. "No, Poske, you stay here and keep your optics on the pilot. He seems to be one of those that has a habit of running the gossip mills on birds, help with the monitoring or so and I'll call you when I need you." she explained to the cybri.

"Right'o Boss." Poske said, saluting and drifting back to the cockpit. The Debriefing room was at the back of the CIC and as she past Navigation Zanthi overheard an ulie male arguing over his PMC comm with someone elsewhere on the ship, it seemed everyone on the crew had suspicions about the mission and the well reason a Spectre was here. Not that she could blame them, the Apherian Empire and the Alliance militarises did not hold Spectres in high regard ever since one of the Council's best operatives tried to cast doubt over their own Commodore Ackersan about fourteen years ago, no one save the higher Alphas and Admirals knew what circumstances these were made in, but it had quickly spread down the ranks that Council Spectres were not to be trusted. The Council was still trying to repair the diplomatic fallout that had occurred after it.

Nearing the door to the Communications Room Zanthi saw Doctor Chakan talking to a young male attix in military coats and his bio-illuminesence flashing quickly with excitement. Attix did not have vocal cords and so could not speak, instead the ape-like felines used bio-illumisent veins over their faces, torso, arms, hands, legs and feet to communicate between themselves and other races. Being one of the more widespread Imperial races almost all Apherian races knew the meaning of the attix luminescent patterns and could enjoy quite an in-depth conversation with one. The Council and Terminus races used their omni-tools as a translator when talking to them. The ID on the young male's military coats identified him as Great Cadet Richar Jemli and was one of the few Cadets posted to the Capia. "Jem that's ridiculus! After everything that happened the Commodore will take no orders from a Spectre."

The male's markings lit up in whites, blues, and bright pinks as he responded to the Doctor, his excitement causing his bright words to sound broken in some places and from Zanthi's own translation of the bright marks. "_Not much his choice. The Empire clamp down on Spectre activities in Imperial space, but they still have privileges._" Richar's bio-luminesence was flashing so fast at some points Zanthi couldn't keep up and it made him seem a bit simple, but it was just his excitement. "_Spectre do whatever it takes to complete his mission, kill anyone, anything that get in his way._"

"You're watching to many of those Spirit vids, Jemli." The two realised Zanthi was approaching and the young cadet saluted.

"_What you think Commander? We won't be standing about for long, will we. Like some real action!_"

"I hope you are kidding, Cadet." Chakan said with a growl, her ears drawn back aggressively. "Your _real action_ normally has me patching up crew members in the Medical Bay." Jemli's markings glowed dimly blue to pacify the Doctor. That was Zanthi's cue to set the excitable male straight.

"Calm down, Cadet. You are a warrior of the Empire, your strengths will be seen through many battles, there can be no short cuts through ranks. You earn them from those you serve with. You have nothing to prove here because we will see what you are capable of."

"_Sorry Commander, Doctor Chakan. But this mission is a wind up, when is the real thing going to start._"

"Treat it like every other mission and come back to your loved ones breathing." Zanthi said, remembering glumly about little Recca, Uyenn, Kuear and Oend back at the Red Stream barracks on Eylsia and the home of her growing troop. She had promised those little pups some quality time, until the Alliance had cancelled her leave. "You're from Eden Prime aren't you, Jemli? What's it like?"

"_Very peaceful, Commander. Is mostly an attix and human dominated world, Eden boast the largest human population off of Earth and we get on well. Other races there as well of course, but attix and humans mostly._" Richar explained with obvious pride for his home colony. "_Local government very careful with development and with local ulie terraform fleet economics. My great aunt would take __me to a big hill and stare at the lights from the main settlement, we would try to guess what kind of space craft were docking at the city from the silhouettes in the sky as they past overhead. Beautiful. But I got older, and settlement became too peaceful, that's why I joined the Alliance. Paradise got boring._"

"Any idea why Eden Prime would be the Capia's destination?" Zanthi asked, she had never been to the colony and so didn't know what kind of resources the planet had or its potential.

"_No Commander. Eden is stable colony, is good place for shake down run I guess. But there must be something else too we have a Spectre with us! I can't wait for the _real_ mission to start!_"

"I agree with the Cadet on that one, Shenpar.." Chakan said "Spectres are agents to the Council, everything they see, the Citadel Council will know. They're like the Apherian Spirits in that sense, but a lot more heavy-handed."

"Yes, Joker said something very similar to that." Zanthi remembered. "I best get going, the Commodore is waiting for me."

"Commander."

"_Commander._"

~~~~~~~~~~ ME/S ~~~~~~~~~~

The Communications Room was a circular room with eight seats and a 3D holoscreen terminal at the far end opposite the entrance, as Zanthi entered she saw the tall lithe figure of Nihlus, the Spectre that was causing such commotion on the Capia by just his presence alone. He was using the holoscreen to look at one of the many vistas Eden Prime was famous for. Hearing movement, Nihlus turned his head to see the ulie Commander approach and turned fully to face her.

"Commander Shenpar, I was hoping you'd get here first. I'd like to talk with you for a moment."

"What about?" Zanthi asked, hoping she sounded friendly and that her suspicions weren't heard over her voice.

"I'd like to know more about this world we're going to," he explained, pointing to the 3D holo behind him "Eden Prime, I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"I've never been there myself, but they say it's a paradise."

"A paradise, yes. It was one of the Empire's first colonies past the Silent Relay wasn't it?"

"Yes, but it was started up by attix and humans and both species tend to be somewhat... flippant, about defending their people."

"What do you mean?"

"Eden Prime boasts a large human presence and many races other than them and the attix call the planet their home, according to our young Cadet Jemli." Zanthi said, remembering the information she had got from talking with the young attix "but the fleet that protects the planet is small." Zanthi explained, knowing full well that the attix Matriarch Coven that governed the planet probably depended on the protection offered by being close to a major trading port. The defensive fleets of nearby systems would come to their aid if is was ever needed. Much like Eylsia did... until the Skylian Raid.

"You have doubts the colony could protect itself if attacked?" Nihlus asked.

"I have doubts about the Matriarch Coven taking the security of their people seriously. I have no doubts about the people themselves taking their security seriously. Our fleets would move in to protect the planet, given time, but both attix and humans are remarkable at guerilla warfare. Any occupying force would be hounded and weakened constantly." Zanthi explained. "Why do you ask?" She asked, ears laying back against her mane and her eyes narrowing at the turian.

"Always expect trouble, Shenpar." Nihlus said "Is your Empire truly ready for the rest of the galaxy? Your people are idealistic and the races of the Terminus are anything but. Do you truly believe that your Empire's ways are going to change anything?"

"It has worked well over the past one million years for us, Spectre Nihlus. When you reach our age, you will come to see the patterns in the universe." Zanthi explained.

"So we're just a pattern?" the turian asked without anger or irritation in his voice.

"No. The exemption to the pattern we know." Nihlus was obviously not expecting that for an anwser; his mandibles slackened slightly.

"I don't follow?"

"Think about it, Nihlus." Zanthi said, her own green and blue eyes looking the tall male straight into his bright orbs. "Of all the places for the Apherian Empire to grow and become the oldest power in the galaxy, its in the Second Arm. There, we found the other races, we extended our paws in friendship and, for some, we had to defend our borders from them before they came to see us as their closest allies. Yet, the youngest race we have in the Empire are the chornts, their space age is some one hundred thousand years old. Compare that to the asari, four thousand years." Zanthi paused, allowing her words to sink in. "That is how long the asari have been travelling the stars, Nihlus. Where are _your_ older races? Where are the Protheans? Where are the ones who came before them? The Empire finds it... worrisome... that the only place you find the older races in the galaxy; is in the only Galactic Arm that does not have mass relays. If the Protheans are your forebearers, and _they_ built the mass relays, Nihlus. How, by the All Maker's Maw, are talking to me?"

Nihlus was silent.

It was then that Commodore Ackersan made his entrance. A look at the Spectre had the Commodore wondering what had happened between the turian and the Commander. "Is something wrong?"

Nihlus shook himself from his thoughts at the male's question "No Commodore. The Commander just gave me a little food for thought. I believe that's the saying, yes?"

"A human one, yes." Zanthi agreed.

"In that case, I think it's time we told the Commander what's really going on." Ackersan said as he came to stand beside them.

"This is far more than a simple shakedown run, Shenpar. But I imagine you and most of the crew have guessed that." Nihlus said. Zanthi nodded her head and smirked at the Commodore in a kindly manner.

"We figured there was something you weren't telling us." the female said with a humorous tone to her voice. But it quickly vanished when the Commodore gave her low growl, this was serious, the growl was to get her back in line and back into her military mindset.

"We are making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime, that's why we needed the stealth systems operational." the Commodore explained.

"There must be a reason you didn't inform me about this, Alpha?" Shenpar asked, choosing her words carefully.

"This mission comes right from the top, Commander. Information was need to know basis only." the Commodore explained. "Colonists on Eden Prime discovered an artefact while building a new transport hub from one of their main settlements. Reports have come back absolute that it is Prothean. A beacon of some sort."

"I see. That explains a lot. What are we doing, Commodore?" Zanthi asked.

"Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities or the expertise to handle a Prothean artefact and the Empire has agreed to take it back to the Citadel for proper study, with the understanding of sharing whatever knowledge can be gleaned from it."

"Obviously this goes beyond mere Apherian interests Commander," Nihlus stated "this beacon could effect every species in Council space."

"'Always expect trouble'. I see now. What trouble are you expecting?" Zanthi asked the dark turian.

"Pirates, slavers, madmen, grazing cattle blocking a road. Anything."

"The beacon is not the only reason Nihlus is here, Shenpar, he's going to be evaluating you." Ackersan said. Zanthi's ears perked slightly, but her fur stood on end from the ominous note to the Commodore's voice. It put her on edge and she couldn't help the slight growl that accompanied her voice.

"What's going on Commodore? Is this a Spectre evaluation?" she stared at Ackersan making it clear she wanted her answers from him. Why he of all ulies, would allow this.

"Ease Commander. This will not be like my time those years ago. Should your evaluation go well and you take the position of a Spectre think about the good it will do. Empire relations with the Citadel, particularly Council races, took a huge blow after my attempt and the politicians are still trying to heal the wounds fourteen years on. If anything, an Apherian Spectre will be able to put forth Apherian concerns and will allow our citizens to regain their trust in the Citadel races."

"Shenpar, the Spectres, we are an elite group. It is rare for us to find an individual with the skills that we seek." Nihlus explained, "After the incident involving Commodore Ackersan and Agent Saren our recruitment lists have become extremely small. Promising men and women are refusing to join for all manner of reasons, asari and salarians particularly as their militaries are often dependant on their governments and governments are dependant on friendly diplomatics with the Empire."

"So I'm just a bandage?" Zanthi said. She couldn't help but feel extremely upset she was being used as some sort of barter.

"No. You are not." Nihlus said with a hard voice and the Commodore levelling his gaze on the shorter female. "While you would help in brokering at least a reprieve on the diplomatic side of things you will have every right and privilege that comes with being a Spectre. You held off an enemy assault single-handed, rallying civilians and turning just a handful of soldiers into a deadly but effective fire team. You showed not only outstanding courage but also incredible skills that allowed you to save an unbelievable amount of people. _That's _why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

The Commander relaxed, but her ears flicked up at the revelation Nihlus had made. "You put my name down?"

"Not all turians resent the Empire, Commander." Nihlus explained, sounding much more relaxed, like a burden had been lifted from him. "Many races see the great potential of earning the Empire's trust. Every race knows what the Empire could offer to the galaxy once that trust is found... but the Spectres just want the individuals who can get the job done any way they can. The politicians can spin whatever they want on it, Shenpar. Just show us what you can do for the rest of galaxy."

Zanthi lowered her eyes as she tried to let it all make sense. Now she saw why Nihlus had met her at the shuttle off Eylsia, it was to build a rapport with her as early as possible before the mission. It all made so much sense. Once Jemli heard about this the good Doctor was never going to hear the end of it.

"I'm guessing the Senate of Species and the Warriors Council all agree with this?" the Commander finally asked Ackersan. Silently agreeing.

"Yes, although several kylos, melosians, racions and others on the Warriors Council did fight hard for you. They are all in agreement now, some more so than others." Ackersan said.

"Very well, Nihlus. What happens now?"

"I need to see your skills for myself Commander. Eden Prime will be one of several missions together." the turian explained.

"You'll be in charge of the ground team." the Commodore said, taking over the conversation "Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship, Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

"Give the word Commodore and I'll be ready." Zanthi said.

"We should be getting close to Eden..."

"Commodore! We've got a problem!" Joker's voice sounded over the comm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mass Effect / Spore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally got another out. With work and everything else going on it's been an uphill struggle for me to get things out. I'll try my best to do better in the future.


End file.
